Two Australian citizens, a Jewish couple from Sydney, were confirmed safe after a flydubai flight to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia following an alleged attack by one of the pilots. Foreign Minister Penny Wong posted on social media that the passengers were safe thanks to the “heroes” who thwarted the incident and helped bring them to safety.
The aircraft, travelling from the United Arab Emirates to Israel, was forced to make an emergency landing after the alleged stabbing of the co‑pilot by an Omani pilot. During the attack the plane dropped about 17,000 feet in just two minutes. Passengers, including Yaniv Hayoun, reported hearing screams and feeling pressure as the aircraft plunged before they forced their way into the cockpit and found the attacker at the instrument panel.
Hayoun later recounted that he grabbed the attacker, put him in a chokehold, and dragged him out first, noting that the assailant was trying to destroy the instruments to disable the plane. The incident prompted heightened security alerts, according to Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Hillel Newman, who compared the event to the 9/11 attacks and warned that the attack was aimed at undermining peace and the Abraham Accords.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was too early to determine who was ultimately behind the incident. The event highlighted the fragile nature of the recent normalization of relations between the UAE and Israel under the Abraham Accords, and underscored the ongoing tensions that threaten regional stability. The two Australians were flown to Israel after the plane landed safely, and their safety was confirmed by the Israeli embassy in Australia.
