Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, stated regarding the attack on the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight that it is still too early to determine Iran's possible role in this incident. The attack occurred on Wednesday during the flight when one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot and attempted to take control of the aircraft.
Details of the Incident and Reactions
The aircraft, belonging to Flydubai, descended to an altitude of about 5,200 meters approximately two hours after takeoff. At that moment, passengers and crew managed to subdue the attacker and regain control of the aircraft. The plane ultimately landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
Smith Machchar, the Indian pilot who was stabbed in this incident, was hospitalized and his condition has been reported as stable. Netanyahu referred to him as a "true hero." One of the passengers named Yaniv Hayon also explained how he and other passengers subdued the attacker in an attempt to disable the aircraft.
Iran's Role and Officials' Statements
In response to the question of whether there are signs of Iranian involvement, Benjamin Netanyahu said, "It is still too early" and added that the attacker is currently being interrogated in Saudi Arabia. Donald Trump, the President of the United States, also mentioned the attacker in a conversation with Netanyahu, referring to him as "perhaps a terrorist," although there may be other reasons behind this attack.
Israel Katz, the Israeli Minister of Defense, described the incident as "an attempt at a jihadist terrorist attack" but did not provide further details. Netanyahu also stated that Israel had no prior warnings or information regarding this incident.
Flight FZ 1073 of Flydubai, which took off at 3:05 GMT from Dubai International Airport heading to Ben Gurion Airport, transmitted emergency code 7500 at the time of the incident, which is specifically used to indicate hijacking or unlawful interference with a flight.
The passengers of this flight, most of whom were Israeli, were transferred to Tel Aviv on another flight after landing in Saudi Arabia and were warmly welcomed by the public at the airport.
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