Istanbul , Turkey ( CNN ) -- Despite an epic rift in Turkish-Israeli relations , Turkey 's top general announced his troops are relying on new unmanned aerial drones recently purchased from Israel to battle Kurdish rebels . At an international military conference on Monday , the commander of Turkey 's armed forces , Gen. Ilker Basbug , said that within the last 10 days , his troops had begun employing Israeli-made `` Heron '' drones on surveillance missions over Turkey 's mountainous eastern border with Iraq . Basbug spoke after a weekend of bloody clashes with Kurdish rebels left at least 12 Turkish soldiers stationed in this border region dead . The fact that Turkey still depends on Israel for high-tech defense technology could complicate the Turkish government 's threats to punish Israel for a botched Israeli commando raid in which eight Turks and a dual-national Turkish-American were shot dead aboard a Turkish ship carrying aid to Gaza . Israel plans to ease blockade . After the May 31 incident , Turkey 's prime minister ominously warned `` nothing would ever be the same again , '' between the two once-close Middle Eastern allies . Recep Tayyip Erdogan has demanded that Israel apologize for what he has repeatedly labeled an act of `` state terrorism '' and `` piracy '' in the eastern Mediterranean . Turkey withdrew its ambassador from Tel Aviv , Israel , in protest and cancelled joint military exercises with Israel . But Ankara has been careful not to sever ties with the Israeli defense industry . The long-simmering conflict with rebels from the Kurdistan Workers ' Party ( PKK ) has flared once again in recent months , making Turkey more dependent on Israeli military technology . `` This is another paradoxical situation ... Turkey has been reluctant to freeze defense industry ties with Israel , '' said Lale Kemal , a journalist who writes a column on military affairs for the Turkish newspaper Zaman . `` You need equipment to fight against asymmetric warfare . These are attack helicopters , surveillance systems such as UAV 's [ Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ] , intelligence systems and satellites ... and Turkey does n't produce any of these systems . '' When asked on Monday whether Israeli technicians and engineers had to cut short training on the new drones due to the recent rift in relations , Basbug insisted Turkish operators were adequately prepared to pilot the Herons . `` Now our own personnel , our air force , is using the Heron systems that we bought , '' Basbug said . `` They got the training , it is over . We are capable , we have started using them . '' Basbug added that the Israeli-made drones are being sent into Iraqi airspace , in coordination with the U.S. military , to gather intelligence on PKK rebels who have long operated out of remote mountain camps on the Iraqi side of the border . According to the Turkish military , at least 55 of its soldiers have been killed in clashes with PKK fighters since the beginning of March . Over the last week , Turkish warplanes have carried out several air raids against suspected rebel targets in northern Iraq . On March 16 , the Turkish military said hundreds of Turkish troops made an incursion several kilometers into Iraqi territory in `` hot pursuit '' of PKK militants .
Turkish military used Israeli - made aerial drones against Kurdish rebels . Despite improvement in relations , Turkey remains dependent on Israel for military technology . Rift stems from last month 's deadly raid on Gaza flotilla by Israeli Navy .