🛬 Passengers arrive safely at Ben Gurion Airport: The flydubai rescue flight from Saudi Arabia landed safely at Ben Gurion International Airport after being escorted by fighter jets. It carried approximately 180 passengers, mostly Israelis, from an earlier flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv that made an emergency landing at Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk Airport.
All the Israelis are now on their way home. Prime Minister Netanyahu is expected to welcome the passengers at Ben Gurion Airport. Footage included the song line “And the main thing is—not to be afraid at all”.
Saudi Arabia had refused both an IDF evacuation flight using a C-130 Hercules and an El Al-operated option to bring the stranded passengers home.
❗️ Alleged cockpit attack and emergency landing: The copilot of the earlier flight allegedly stabbed the pilot in a suspected attempt to crash the aircraft, which then made an emergency landing at Tabuk Airport.
Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk Airport said: "This morning, we received a distress call from a FlyDubai flight requesting an emergency landing. The airport declared a state of emergency, and the plane landed safely. The pilot and his co-pilot were injured and have been transported to the hospital. We provided the necessary assistance to the passengers in the passenger terminal. The relevant authorities are working to complete the necessary investigations".
⚠️ Netanyahu recounts passenger intervention and orders security preparations: Prime Minister Netanyahu said: "I spoke with one of the Israeli passengers. He told me that the plane went into a spin and began to nosedive. He told me that somehow he managed to break into the cockpit with one of the crew members, and together they subdued the pilot who carried out the stabbing while he was attempting to sabotage the aircraft’s systems. I have instructed the security agencies to prepare for additional potential threats".
🔎 Mossad chief coordinates incident response and investigation: Israel is awaiting the results of the investigation being conducted on Saudi soil. A nationalist motive remains unconfirmed, although suspicion of such a motive is growing.
Mossad Chief Roman Gofman is coordinating all aspects of the incident, including communications with Saudi authorities and the investigation itself.
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