WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE INCIDENT ON BOARD THE DUBAI-TEL AVIV FLIGHT
Israel is treating the incident on the flydubai flight FZ 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv as a “terror incident.”
According to Israeli officials, shortly after entering Jordanian airspace, the Omani co-pilot stabbed the Emirati pilot and attempted to take control of the plane by force. The pilots are not from Russia and Ukraine, as initially believed.
During the altercation, the pilot transmitted a general emergency signal and then another emergency signal that indicated possible hijacking, as the aircraft was diverted towards Saudi Arabia and plunged 14,000 feet (approximately 4,200 meters) in a single minute, before landing at Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
Israeli passengers and the flight crew who heard the altercation coming from the cockpit managed to subdue the co-pilot, whose intent remains unknown at this stage.
It is unclear what the pilot was attempting—whether to hijack the plane to Israel, crash it into the ground, or carry out a 9/11-style attack. What is clear is that he wanted to hijack the plane and that a major disaster was averted, an Israeli official said.
The 150 Israeli passengers are currently waiting to be shuttled to Israel, as flydubai says it has sent an alternative plane. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz cancelled a visit to southern Israel and are holding security discussions.
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— @ariel_oseran Sep 30, 2026
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