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<\/a><\/p>\nA flydubai passenger plane flies over Ben Gurion International Airport, central Israel, September 9, 2026. (Yossi Aloni\/Flash90)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The flight, carrying more than 100 Israeli passengers, was diverted while flying over Jordanian airspace and eventually landed at Tabuk Airport in northern Saudi Arabia, an Israeli official to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.<\/p>\n
An Israeli official briefed the media and was quoted by Israel\u2019s Channel 12 as saying that one pilot stabbed the other and attempted to \u201cdo a 9\/11\u201d \u2014 either by hijacking the plane and flying it toward Israel or crashing it. The official said that a \u201cdramatic disaster was prevented.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to accounts from passengers posted on social media and reports by Israeli media, the co-pilot attacked the captain and attempted to take control of the aircraft. At least two people were injured in the incident. The entire incident lasted about an hour and a half.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are on the flight from Dubai. We took control of the flight. There was an attacker with a knife who stabbed one of the pilots,\u201d passenger Itzhak Liber said in a Facebook video. \u201cA few of us jumped in and pulled him out of the cockpit. Everything is OK now. The terrorist is neutralized. There is a pilot who is seriously injured.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was tough. Everything is covered in blood,\u201d Liber added.<\/p>\n
Another passenger, appearing in a video posted to social media with blood visible on his face, said the passengers were in the middle of a hijacking and had restrained the attacker as the plane prepared to land. In another video, several passengers said they were protecting the pilot.<\/p>\n
A third passenger told Israel\u2019s Channel 12, \u201cThere were moments when we were sure this was the end.\u201d<\/p>\n
Saudi authorities said the two pilots were taken to a hospital after sustaining injuries, according to international media reports. Flydubai, which is owned by the United Arab Emirates, has acknowledged that there was an \u201cincident\u201d that led to the diversion of the flight. It stressed that the plane landed safely and that all passengers were safe. UAE officials had not commented on the incident as of publication. <\/p>\n
Data from Flightradar24 showed the aircraft descending roughly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds during the incident. The plane subsequently diverted from its route and landed in Tabuk.<\/p>\n
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had held consultations and was monitoring developments. \u201cFollowing concerns over an aviation incident, the prime minister held consultations on the matter and followed developments,\u201d Netanyahu\u2019s office said. \u201cThe incident is under control, and all measures are now being taken to return the Israeli passengers safely to Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Israel and Saudi Arabia do not have formal diplomatic relations, but the two countries maintain ties. This is not the first time a flight carrying Israeli passengers has landed in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said in a post on X that there had been an attempt to \u201ccrash\u201d the aircraft and \u201cmurder 180 Israelis.\u201d He called for Israel to hold accountable the \u201cstate or terrorist organization\u201d responsible for the incident.<\/p>\n
This is a developing story.<\/em><\/p>\n