A violent clash between pilots caused the diversion of a flight between the UAE and Israel on Wednesday, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office denied that the plane had been hijacked, according to Reuters.
Netanyahu's office said that "the situation is under control" and that "all measures are being taken to return the Israeli passengers safely."
Violent clash
For its part, Flydubai announced that Flight 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv today was involved in an accident while in flight, and added, “The plane landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, and all passengers are fine.”
CNN reported, citing sources, that a violent clash between the pilots caused the distress signal to be issued.
An Israeli official, who requested to remain anonymous, also told Reuters that the two pilots sent emergency signals after they got into a physical altercation with each other. It is not yet clear whether any of the pilots sent the signal intentionally.
Israeli media reported that a Flydubai plane, heading from Dubai to Tel Aviv with about 150 people on board, briefly sent a distress signal, raising fears that it might be hijacked, prompting Israel to mobilize two fighter jets to accompany it.
The Ynet website stated that the signal was issued while the plane was lowering its altitude by manual control and turning to return in the opposite direction, and fell to a lower altitude.
Subsequently, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz held urgent security consultations following the incident.
The Flydubai plane took off from Dubai at 7:05 am, and was scheduled to land at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv at around 9:30 am.
About 90 minutes after the start of the flight, as the plane was entering Jordanian airspace, it sent code 7700 via the transponder, which is the international code that indicates a public emergency. It then sent code 7500, used to indicate unlawful interference with the operation of the aircraft, including possible hijacking. Two Israeli Air Force fighters were mobilized to escort the plane, while the authorities were working to determine the reason for the emergency signals.
Iran is awaiting an American response to its proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, after talks held by mediators with the two parties in New York on Monday. This comes at a time when Tehran warned that the infrastructure in the region would not be safe.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said, after meeting with a Qatari mediator before leaving New York yesterday, that communications through mediators have become “more serious,” expressing his hope to receive the American response within a short time (by yesterday, Tuesday). He stressed that Tehran's positions have not changed. Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman, Majid Al-Ansari, said that efforts are focused on “building common ground” and “bridging the gap.”
US President Donald Trump denied that he offered to ease sanctions or release frozen Iranian funds to end the war in exchange for nuclear steps, saying: “I did not offer them anything.”
In what appeared to be a threat to neighboring countries, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqir Qalibaf said: “In the region where we do not sell our oil, no one will sell oil, and if our security is not achieved, no infrastructure will be safe,” vowing a “harsh, precise and swift” response to any “aggression or adventure.”
In turn, Brian Katulis, from the Middle East Institute in the United States, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the two countries are in a “test of wills.” Farzin Nadimi, from the Washington Institute, believed that the Hormuz card had declined and not disappeared, while Barak Barfi, from the New America Foundation, suggested that resuming the fighting was closer than ending it.
