JERUSALEM (AP) - Turkey has called off an international military drill because it opposed Israel’s participation, Israeli defense officials said Sunday, a move that sent strained relations between the two nations to a new low.

Turkey has long been the Jewish state’s best friend in the Muslim world. But ties have deteriorated dramatically since Israel’s war last winter against Islamic militants in the Gaza Strip, which killed hundreds of civilians.

Turkey, a secular country ruled by an Islamic-oriented party, strongly condemned the Israeli offensive. Tensions soared after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stormed out of a high-profile conference where he confronted Israel’s president over steep Palestinian civilian casualties.

Turkey’s surprise cancellation of the air force drill, which was also to include the U.S. and NATO, was the first time its criticism of Israel has been translated into concrete action.

A brief statement posted on the Turkish military’s Web site said the sixth annual Anatolia Eagle drill would take place Oct. 10-23, but that international participation had been canceled after "international negotiations conducted by the Turkish Foreign Ministry."

A Turkish government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, insisted that the decision was "due to a technical matter" rather than a political decision.