Israel says 40 of its citizens were briefly detained for questioning upon landing at Istanbul airport in Turkey amid worsening relations between the two countries.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor says the passengers were freed later Monday, September 5 morning. He says he doesn't know what questions they were asked.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry and Turkish Airlines said they were not aware of the incident. Turkish media said that Turkish travelers arriving in Israel recently were harassed at a security check.

Meanwhile, a group of Turkish air passengers claimed they were harassed and intimidated at a Tel Aviv airport on Monday as fallout from the diplomatic rift between Israel and Turkey spreads, Today’s Zaman reported.