Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir alleged that the terrorist planned to crash the Tel Aviv bound flydubai passenger plane and murder the 180 Israelis on board. In a post on X, the Israel minister said, “Israel has done a wonderful job in the last two and a half years, but we must not stop and must continue until achieving total victory in Iran, Lebanon, Gaza, and Judea and Samaria.”
“The naive notion that our enemies value life and that we should have mercy on them received another reminder this morning in the form of a terrorist who planned to crash a plane and murder the 180 Israelis on board. Terrorism is a devil with which no agreement should ever be reached except for its defeat and erasure from the face of the earth,” the minister said.
What happened?
A flydubai passenger flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv triggered a security scare on Wednesday after it transmitted emergency codes indicating a possible hijacking. The Boeing 737 MAX 8, operating as flight FZ1073, was carrying around 180 passengers when it turned back over Saudi Arabia after declaring an emergency. The incident prompted Israel to scramble two fighter jets as authorities sought to establish what had happened aboard the aircraft. The plane eventually landed safely at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia, with all passengers and crew reported safe.
The initial security concerns were later eased after Israeli authorities said the incident was not a hijacking. Israeli media, citing security officials, reported that the emergency was linked to a dispute between the aircraft’s two pilots. Interestingly, various reports have confirmed the aircraft’s pilot as Russian and the co-pilot as Ukrainian. The detail has drawn attention as Russia and Ukraine have been engaged in an ongoing war since 2022.
Israeli military leadership reviews incident
The incident triggered an assessment at the highest levels of Israel’s military establishment. The Israel Defence Forces said Chief of Staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir held an assessment with senior commanders after the emergency involving the flydubai aircraft. As per reports, those involved in the assessment included Air Force chief Maj Gen Omer Tischler, Operations Directorate chief Maj Gen Itzik Cohen and Intelligence Directorate chief Maj Gen Shlomi Binder.
Israeli Hebrew-language media also reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz held emergency consultations following the incident. The military and security assessments were reportedly conducted as authorities attempted to establish why the aircraft had first transmitted a general emergency code and then the code associated with suspected unlawful interference.
Also Read:
40,000 massive bombs for Israel? Trump plans $2.8 billion arms deal as Gaza ceasefire remains fragile