The situation in the Middle East and international updates

“They will be hit very hard, don't worry,” Trump said when a reporter asked him if the United States would retaliate if Tehran was proven responsible for the in-flight knife attack on the pilot of a Flydubai flight. Meanwhile, the Pentagon is sending a third strike group to the Middle East centered on the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier and additional Marine Corps ships

US President Donald Trump has threatened to hit Iran "very hard" if Tehran's involvement in the mid-air knife attack on the pilot of a Flydubai flight were revealed. Following the attempted hijacking of one of its planes on Wednesday, FlyDubai has decided to suspend flights to and from Tel Aviv until October 15th.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon is sending a third strike group to the Middle East centered on the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier and additional Marine Corps ships: the move, reports the Wall Street Journal, will lead to the arrival of an additional contingent of between 9,000 and 10,000 personnel in the region, just as President Donald Trump evaluates the possibility of resuming attacks against Iran after the mid-term elections. The ships, fighters, Marines and Navy personnel will arrive in the area by the end of November, officials cited anonymously as saying.

Israel is following the terrorist trail for what happened on a FlyDubai plane headed from Dubai to Tel Aviv: the co-pilot stabbed the pilot during the flight. The vehicle landed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Israeli Minister Ben Gvir: "The naive belief that our enemies love life and that we should have compassion for them received a reminder this morning in the form of a terrorist who planned to crash a plane and kill the 180 Israelis on board"

According to Abu Dhabi, "Israel is exploiting the attack for political purposes and is delaying the resumption of FlyDubai flights. Elections are driving the situation, not logic." A source close to the Emirati government reported this to Yedioth Ahronoth. The source acknowledged that "there was clearly a malfunction" but argued that Israel does not understand the extent of the damage done to the Emirates.

The G7 leaders condemn "Iran's continued attacks against neighboring countries in the region and the disruption it causes to international trade, energy security and the global economy". This can be read in a statement from the leaders on the sidelines of the video conference called by France, the rotating president of the G7. The statement also calls for "the immediate and complete restoration of the rights and principles of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz".

Israeli authorities are expected to question the co-pilot who allegedly attempted to crash a commercial flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, a source familiar with the investigation said. This was reported by the Israeli public TV channel Kan and the Times of Israel, citing Reuters. The source declined to specify which Israeli agency or authority will participate in the interrogation. An Israeli government official said that Israeli investigators will participate in the investigation led by the United Arab Emirates, alongside the Emirati authorities, with the aim of ascertaining the incident and examining the motives and background of the suspect.

"As time passes, the picture becomes clearer: the attacker underwent a process of Islamist radicalization. The intent was to crash the plane with its passengers. We are verifying as part of the investigation whether he was sent by someone, and whoever sent him will pay a very high price." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared this in a video released by his office.

The Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet killed Tamer Hamaideh, a Hamas sniper, in the Khan Younis area. This was reported by the IDF, according to which during the war the man conducted terrorist and sniping operations against Israeli forces and Israeli citizens. Hamaideh was killed yesterday in an air raid.

A Palestinian was killed in an Israeli drone strike near the Ansar roundabout, west of Gaza City. This is what medical sources at Al-Shifa hospital told Al Jazeera.

The incident on Wednesday aboard a Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv was a "dangerous act of terrorism". This was stated by Anwar Gargash, advisor to the Emirati president, praising the Indian pilot Smit Machchhar.

European stock markets strengthened mid-session, supported by the drop in oil prices and government bond yields. EU countries are evaluating the French plan to release diesel reserves. As a result, the price of Brent fell below the psychological threshold of $100 a barrel, helping to ease inflationary pressures.