A Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia following a “violent incident” between two pilots

(CNN) - Sources told CNN that a “violent incident” occurred between two pilots that led to the diversion of a Flydubai plane, which was heading from Dubai to Tel Aviv, on Wednesday morning, local time, to land in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Flight tracking data reviewed by CNN shows that the plane descended 17,400 feet - from an altitude of 34,000 feet to about 16,600 feet - over northwest Saudi Arabia in just over two minutes, and then sent an emergency signal before landing in Saudi Arabia.

A Flydubai spokesman said that flight No. FZ 1073 “saw an accident during the flight” and landed at Tabuk Airport in the northwest of the Kingdom, stressing that all passengers are fine and safe.

For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office reported that the situation is under control, and that "all measures are currently being taken to return the Israeli passengers safely to Israel."

An Israeli official said that the incident was not a hijacking, adding that information indicated that it was an “internal incident involving the plane crew” during the flight.

An Israeli military spokesman told CNN that Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz conducted security consultations, and Israeli fighter planes were sent immediately after receiving the emergency signal.

The emergency landing in Tabuk is a rare case of the arrival of large numbers of Israelis to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which does not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel.

Saudi Arabia had opened its airspace to flights heading to Israel and Israeli airlines in 2022, as part of the normalization efforts led by the United States. However, Riyadh confirms that it will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.