Israel was gripped on Sunday by the dramatic diversion of a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, after a pilot allegedly attempted to hijack the aircraft, stabbing his co-pilot mid-flight. The plane, carrying more than 100 Israeli passengers, landed safely in Saudi Arabia after passengers helped subdue the attacker and Israeli fighter jets were scrambled. The incident triggered a political storm over aviation security, while further afield Syria said it had dismantled a Hezbollah-linked cell, Iran signalled openness to further nuclear talks, and Israelis stranded in Ethiopia were airlifted to safety.

Security

A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, carrying more than 100 Israeli passengers, descended dramatically after a co-pilot allegedly stabbed the pilot in what officials described as an attempted hijacking. Israeli fighter jets were scrambled as security officials in Israel convened urgently, assessing the incident as a probable act of terror. Passengers described chaos as the plane suddenly plunged, with several Israelis rushing the cockpit to help subdue the attacker; the tail section of the aircraft was reportedly damaged. The flight was diverted and landed safely in Saudi Arabia, with no non-crew passengers seriously injured. An Israeli official said a "major disaster" had narrowly been avoided. Separately, Syrian authorities said they had dismantled a Hezbollah-linked cell allegedly preparing rocket launchers, though Hezbollah denied any presence or military activity in Syria and accused Israel of trying to disrupt Lebanese-Syrian relations. In Ethiopia, a group of Israelis who had been stranded for three days amid a security flare-up were evacuated by air in an unusual rescue operation.

Politics

The flydubai incident quickly became a political flashpoint. Transport Minister Miri Regev demanded flights by the airline be suspended pending an inquiry, alleging flydubai breached its aviation agreement with Israel by rostering a pilot from Oman, a country with no diplomatic ties to Israel. A transport ministry source called it a "mega-event" that came close to major disaster. Opposition leader Yair Lapid said nothing resembling the incident had come up during his latest security briefing with the prime minister, accusing critics of exploiting the event for "cheap politics" at Israel's security expense. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich argued that Israel "should respond to intentions, not outcomes" in the wake of the incident.

International

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran was still awaiting mediators to relay Washington's final position on Iran's proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, insisting only a negotiated agreement could resolve the standoff and that reopening the strait depended on Iran's conditions being met. This followed comments from US President Donald Trump on the crisis. In Britain, UK Middle East minister Stephen Doughty told a Labour Friends of Israel conference event that the government's "quarrel is with the Netanyahu government – not Israelis, not Jews." Elsewhere in the UK Jewish community, the Board of Deputies and the Jewish Leadership Council announced plans for a 7 October anniversary vigil in central London featuring prayers, musical performances and a reading of British victims' names, while Noeleen Cohen was elected the new chair of the Progressive Judaism movement, succeeding Dr Ed Kessler in December. Separately, Jewish members of the Green Party warned that a proposal declaring Zionism racist could see those attending synagogue face internal party complaints.

Other Developments

The parents of Almog Sarusi, murdered in Hamas captivity, welcomed a newborn son named Lavi, conceived via surrogacy using eggs frozen for a quarter of a century. His sister wrote that the family would "continue on your path" in his memory.

Sources: Ynet, Walla, www.israelhayom.co.il, Times of Israel, Jerusalem Post