Turkey appointed Sakir Ozkan Torunlar as its new ambassador to Israel late on Wednesday following a mutual decision taken last month to restore full diplomatic ties, two Turkish foreign ministry officials said.
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu briefed Torunlar on Wednesday night as part of the ministry's new appointments abroad.
A career diplomat with decades of experience, Torunlar was Turkish Consul General in Jerusalem from 2010 until 2013.
Lillian, 60, served as the commissioner of the Israeli embassy in Ankara throughout the past year and a half. She also apparently played a key role in the reconciliation process between the two countries, and has built a good relationship with the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
Relations between Turkey and Israel have been rocky since 2011, when Ankara expelled Israel's ambassador following a 2010 Israeli raid on the Mavi Marmara aid ship to Gaza, which killed nine Turkish citizens.
The rift healed when full diplomatic relations were restored in 2016 and the two countries exchanged ambassadors.
Tensions escalated again in 2018 when Israeli forces killed a number of Palestinians who had taken part in protests on the Gaza border against the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.
Turkey recalled all diplomats and ordered Israeli envoys to leave the country.
The latest developments come five months after Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited Ankara, the first visit to Turkey by an Israeli leader since 2008.
In August, Israel and Turkey decided to restore full diplomatic ties and will return ambassadors to each other's countries following a steady improvement in relations.