The prime minister told Fox News that it would become clear in the coming days if Iran was connected to the incident, and clarified that he received no prior warnings
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The prime minister told Fox News that it would become clear in the coming days if Iran was connected to the incident, and clarified that he received no prior warnings

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Flydubai passengers upon landing in Israel. Credit: Tomer Applebaum
06:04 PM • October 01 2026 IDT
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday in an interview with Fox News that the co-pilot who tried to crash the plane on a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv underwent "Islamist radical indoctrination."
When asked whether Iran is linked to the incident, Netanyahu said that "It's too early to say. The attacking pilot is now being investigated in Saudi Arabia."
Meanwhile, the Indian network Indian Express reported from a source that the stabbed Indian captain, Smit Machchhar, was flown to Dubai for medical treatment.

In an interview with Fox News Wednesday, Netanyahu said that Israel has solid intelligence about Iran and its proxies, including Hamas and Hezbollah, intending to carry out attacks against Israelis abroad ahead of the elections.
In an interview with CNN, the prime minister clarified that there was no specific warning about the flydubai incident. He also said that the co-pilot was questioned in Saudi Arabia and that he believes he will soon be transferred to the United Arab Emirates.
According to him, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed agreed that Israel would participate in the investigation of the incident. U.S. President Donald Trump also referred to the incident. "The co-pilot was a terrorist or a madman," he said after his conversation with Netanyahu.
A senior American source and a Saudi source updated on the investigation told NBC Wednesday that its initial findings indicate it was a terrorist act. Meanwhile, the state news agency in the United Arab Emirates reported that the country's attorney general ordered an investigation into the incident, including the possibility that it is related to "terrorist activity."
According to assessments in Israel, the Mossad and the Shin Bet will receive updates on the investigations and will likely be able to ask investigators to focus on certain aspects. However, Israel is not expected to participate fully in the investigations.


Passengers arrive in Ben-Gurion airport after the flydubai incident on Wednesday. Credit: Tomer Appelbaum
The incident began when the plane was in Saudi airspace, about an hour before its scheduled landing in Israel. According to flight data recorded by several tracking sites, the plane plunged from an altitude of 34,000 feet to 16,000 feet in less than two minutes, at a rate of about five kilometers per minute. After that, a general distress code was broadcast from the plane, and a few minutes later, a hijacking code was also broadcast. The plane turned toward Jordan, crossed into its territory, and then changed direction and returned to Saudi Arabia. About 50 minutes later, it was detected at a very low altitude near Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia, where it landed.
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Did Netanyahu Implicate Himself in Flydubai Security Failure?| # | Наименование новости | Тональность | Информативность | Дата публикации |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netanyahu: Israel received no specific warning ahead of Flydubai incident | 0 | 7.16 | 01-10-2026 |
| 2 | Нетаньяху: Израиль не получал предупреждений об инциденте с рейсом Flydubai | 0 | 14.55 | 01-10-2026 |
| 3 | Иранский след: Нетаньяху предостерег от спекуляций вокруг рейса Flydubai | 0 | 10.99 | 01-10-2026 |
| 4 | Нетаньяху сделал неожиданное заявление об инциденте на борту самолета | 0 | 12.41 | 01-10-2026 |
| 5 | Премьер Израиля заявила, что власти не получали данных об угрозе на самолете Flydubai | 0 | 10.41 | 01-10-2026 |
| 6 | Нетаньяху: Пытавшийся разбить самолет пилот подвергся обработке исламистов | 0 | 8.71 | 01-10-2026 |
| 7 | Trump says Iran will be hit 'very hard' if it is behind copilot who tried to crash flight to Israel | 0 | 7.09 | 01-10-2026 |
| 8 | Netanyahu says Saudi authorities arrest Flydubai pilot, question him | 0 | 8.34 | 30-09-2026 |
| 9 | Нетаньяху сообщил о нападении пилота Flydubai на коллегу в самолёте | 0 | 8.68 | 30-09-2026 |
| 10 | Pilot on FlyDubai flight stabbed another, apparently tried to crash plane, Netanyahu says | 0 | 5.29 | 30-09-2026 |