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‘Violent incident’ between pilots sparks diversion of Israel-bound flight to Saudi Arabia, sources say
CNN • • general
Key Points:
- A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverted to Saudi Arabia following a “violent incident” between two pilots, causing the aircraft to rapidly descend 17,400 feet over northwestern Saudi Arabia.
- The plane transmitted an emergency signal and landed safely at Tabuk Airport, with all passengers accounted for, according to Flydubai and Israeli officials.
- Israeli authorities confirmed the incident was an internal personnel issue, not a hijacking, and deployed fighter jets as a precaution.
- The emergency landing marked a rare arrival of Israeli passengers in Saudi Arabia, which opened its airspace to Israel-bound flights in 2022 but maintains no formal diplomatic relations with Israel.
- Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz held a security consultation, and efforts are underway to safely return Israeli passengers to Israel.
