Israeli media: pilots with citizenship of enemy countries flew to Tel Aviv

According to information provided by the Israeli daily Haaretz and Channel 12, pilots with citizenship of Iran, Syria and Iraq have been working on routes to and from Israel in recent years. These are countries that Israel officially considers hostile. These pilots had dual citizenship, which allowed them to fly to Tel Aviv without arousing suspicion.

The case gained publicity after an incident involving an Omani, Hamam al-Hammami, the co-pilot of Flydubai, who a few days ago tried to take control of a plane flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv. According to Channel 12, al-Hammami has flown to Israel before, and the last such flight took place just a week before the attempt to seize the plane.

Who is responsible for crew control?

According to Haaretz, the list of passengers and crew of the ill-fated flight was handed over to the Israeli services before the plane took off. The security department of the Ministry of Transport and the Mossad are responsible for checking the crews of foreign airlines. However, according to journalists' findings, the Ministry of Transport does not have its own capabilities.

The Israeli counterintelligence service Shin Bet emphasizes that it is solely responsible for the security of Israeli airlines and Ben Gurion Airport. For foreign carriers, Israel relies on international cooperation and information provided by other countries, such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.