Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said it is “too early to say” whether Iran was involved in the aborted mid-air attack aboard an Israel-bound flydubai flight, as he recounted how an injured Indian pilot and alert passengers helped prevent what could have been “another 9/11”.
Speaking to Fox News after the incident involving flydubai Flight FZ1073, Netanyahu said the pilot accused of carrying out the attack was being investigated in Saudi Arabia and could be taken to the UAE. Israel, he said, would follow the investigation and could potentially participate in it.
Netanyahu says Iran link remains unclear
“It’s no secret that Iran wants to target Israelis abroad,” Netanyahu said, adding that Israel had seen signs that Iran’s proxies, “certainly Hamas and Hezbollah”, were seeking to carry out attacks ahead of elections.
“We have clear evidence of that. But whether or not this was carried out as part of that plan, we don’t know yet. We’ll get to the root of this attacker, whether he had accomplices, whether Iran was behind it. I think we’ll find out very soon,” he added, according to Fox News.
Netanyahu said the investigation would establish who was behind the attack and whether the alleged attacker had any accomplices.
Injured Indian pilot helped prevent disaster
Recounting the events on board, Netanyahu said Captain Smit Machchhar managed to unlock the cockpit door despite suffering serious injuries, as the aircraft went into a nosedive. This allowed passengers and crew members to intervene.
“Well, look, on a flight from Dubai to Israel, as they were approaching Israel, there was an attack by one of the pilots against the other pilot. Apparently, he stabbed him or hit him with an axe. He was bleeding profusely. The plane began to go out of control and began a nosedive,” Netanyahu said, according to Fox News.
“The pilot, the pilot who was there, who was an Indian pilot, with a sort of, he’s very badly wounded. He’s fighting, I think, for his life right now. But in, you know, in an act of unbelievable courage, he managed to unlock the door to the, to the cockpit,” he said.
Netanyahu said Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayoun then rushed from row 16 towards the cockpit as the aircraft swerved. Hayoun was knocked off his feet but entered the cockpit when the aircraft briefly stabilised.
According to Netanyahu, Hayoun saw the attacking pilot “trying to jam the instruments”.
“He grabbed him from behind, pulled him back, got into the pilot’s seat, pulled the stick back,” Netanyahu said.
Two others, an Israeli and another passenger or crew member, then “corralled the attacker”. Reserve crew members travelling with the passengers subsequently entered the cockpit and “managed to stabilise the plane”.
Passenger recalls moments of panic
Netanyahu said he later met Hayoun and asked him how he had managed to act in such circumstances.
“And he said, ‘Well, I—I just had to do it. I had to act. His family was there. 174 passengers, most of whom were Israelis, were there. He had to save them,’” Netanyahu said.
He described Hayoun’s actions as demonstrating “coolness of judgement” and “heroism”, saying that his intervention, together with the actions of Machchhar and others, prevented “another 9/11”.
Netanyahu also recalled that Hayoun told him he was a plumber.
“I asked him, ‘So what do you do for a living?’ And he said, ‘I’m a plumber. I unplug—you know, unclog sewage clogs.’ I said, ‘Well, you certainly unclogged a big one this—this time,’” Netanyahu said.
“An amazing act of heroism of his, of the Indian pilot, of the people who helped them. They stopped a disaster that could have been global,” he added.
The flight was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv when the mid-air incident occurred. Machchhar was allegedly attacked by his co-pilot, who stabbed him and allegedly attempted to take control of the aircraft. Despite his serious injuries, Machchhar managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to intervene. The aircraft was diverted and landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Passenger Almog Italie described the panic on board, saying, “Suddenly the aeroplane dropped, massive turbulence for 20, 30 seconds, and then balanced, and then once again dropped for ten seconds, and balanced again, and then we saw that, in the front of the aircraft there was a riot,” CBS News reported.
Citing Netanyahu, CBS News reported that after the stabbing incident, passengers held the co-pilot down while another pilot on board landed the aircraft safely in Saudi Arabia.
Flydubai acknowledged that “an altercation occurred in the flight deck” and said the aircraft “was successfully secured by on-duty flydubai crew travelling on the flight, who diverted and landed the aircraft safely”.
The passengers were subsequently flown to Tel Aviv on another aircraft.
Netanyahu recalls personal connection to terror attacks
The incident had a personal resonance for Netanyahu because of his family’s history with hijacking and hostage rescue, including the death of his elder brother, Lieutenant Colonel Yonatan “Yoni” Netanyahu, during the 1976 Entebbe rescue operation.
Asked about his personal experience with terrorism and the loss of his brother during the Fox News interview, Netanyahu said he himself had been wounded during an earlier hostage-rescue operation.
“I myself was wounded in a rescue of a hijacked Belgian Sabena aeroplane, when we rescued passengers, again taken by Islamist terrorists,” he said, noting that the unit involved was the one that went to Entebbe.
Netanyahu also drew a comparison with the September 11, 2001, attacks, recalling Israeli-American entrepreneur Daniel Lewin, who was killed during the hijacking of one of the aircraft involved.
“The first casualty of 9/11 was a brilliant Israeli entrepreneur, Daniel Lewin. He founded Akamai. Okay, he had been an officer in my unit, special unit in the military. And you’re right, this is the unit that went to Entebbe,” Netanyahu said.
He said Lewin had attempted to confront the hijackers before being stabbed and described the flydubai incident as a possible “another 9/11”.
Netanyahu said he had also spoken to US President Donald Trump about the incident and recalled Trump’s assessment that passengers, including 30 children, would have believed they were going to die as the aircraft plunged.
“I asked the children what happened when the plane nosedived, and the kid said, ‘We flew to the ceiling.’ You can imagine the havoc there. The people were already saying their prayers; they thought they were going to all crash and die,” he said.
“And they were saved, saved by heroes, by the Indian pilot, by the Israeli passenger, by the others who came to their help.”
“Without his daring-do, without his courage, we would have faced a disaster of unbelievable proportions. So, just think about it. If you’re next hijacked, make sure an Israeli is sitting next to you,” Netanyahu added.
Trump, US security officials praise those on board
US President Donald Trump also praised Machchhar and Hayoun. Trump said he had spoken to Netanyahu about the incident and described the attacker as “perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job”.
“The pilot was in very bad shape. But in a way, he was a hero to open the door,” Trump said.
Trump also praised Hayoun’s intervention, calling it “amazing” and saying the Israeli passenger, who had virtually no flying experience, sprang into action as the aircraft was plunging.
Netanyahu separately hailed Hayoun as a “true hero” in a post on X, writing, “Yoniv, you’re a true hero. We’re a nation of lions!”
Meanwhile, US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there were “no credible threats” directed at the United States following the incident. He added that aviation security officials were reviewing existing safety protocols.
“We have no credible threats to us right now. We take every incident like this very seriously, and we continue to look at the procedures that we have in place and continue to make sure the American people are safe,” Mullin said on Wednesday, as reported by Fox News.
India and Israel hail Captain Machchhar
The Indian Embassy in France paid tribute to Machchhar for his “extraordinary courage”, saying he fought back after being stabbed, opened the cockpit door and helped passengers and crew subdue the attacker, thereby preventing a catastrophe in mid-flight and saving 174 lives.
Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also hailed Machchhar as a hero.
“This man is a hero. Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian captain of flydubai Flight 1073, fought back after being stabbed in the cockpit. Despite being severely injured, he managed to unlock the cockpit door – allowing Israeli passengers and the Emirati crew to intervene and save all the passengers. Together, their extraordinary courage saved 174 lives. Indian. Israeli. Emirati. Different nationalities. One extraordinary act of courage. We wish Captain Machchhar a full and speedy recovery,” it said in a post on X.
Israel’s Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, also expressed solidarity with Machchhar and praised those who intervened.
“Together with Israeli, Indian and UAE nations I pray for the life of Captain Smit Machchhar, the experienced and gifted hero Indian pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073. His courage & the courage of other Israeli & Emirati passengers & crew members saved the lives of 180 souls. United against terrorism!” Azar posted on X.
The Embassy of India in Israel said Machchhar displayed “remarkable courage, composure and devotion to duty” despite sustaining injuries.
“A resounding salute to Captain Smit Machchhar, the brave Indian pilot of flight FZ1073! Despite sustaining injuries in an extraordinary and challenging situation, Captain Machchhar displayed remarkable courage, composure and devotion to duty, helping ensure the safety of everyone on board. Our thoughts and prayers are with Captain Machchhar for a swift and full recovery,” the Embassy said.
India’s Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, also praised the pilot’s valour.
“In the skies above, courage held the line. We salute Captain Smit Machchhar, the brave Indian pilot of flight FZ1073, who stood with the courageous people on board and turned an unthinkable tragedy into a safe landing. Our prayers are with him for a swift and full recovery,” Kwatra stated on X.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also hailed Machchhar as a “HERO”, saying his courage helped save hundreds of lives and avert a major tragedy.
“Captain Smit Machchhar is a HERO. In the face of the gravest danger and despite being seriously injured, he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others. His valour helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy. India is proud of Captain Machchhar. Praying for his speedy recovery, renewed strength and good health,” Modi said in a post on X.
Machchhar is a seasoned pilot who currently flies as a direct-entry captain with UAE-based carrier flydubai.
Meanwhile, flydubai has temporarily suspend flights to and from Israel as an investigation into Wednesday’s mid-air incident is under way.
(with ANI inputs)
