Netanyahu, Lapid Trade Barbs Over Security Briefings Amidst Saudi Aviation Incident

Political tensions flared between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Yair Lapid, with accusations exchanged over security updates and preparedness for potential election-related attacks. The dispute intensified following an unusual incident involving a Flydubai plane in Saudi Arabian airspace.

Lapid claimed that the morning's aviation event, which involved a potential hijacking scare, was not mentioned in the security briefing he received from Netanyahu the previous evening. He accused the Prime Minister's office of "cheap politics at the expense of Israel's security." However, a diplomatic source countered that Lapid was informed by the military secretariat about a significant increase in overseas terror threats, the likes of which haven't been seen in years.

Netanyahu had previously warned that "enemies will try to attack us" ahead of the elections and vowed that Israel's "long arm will reach them anywhere, anytime." This prompted Lapid to request an urgent security update. The two leaders eventually met for a briefing, after which Lapid stated that the IDF, Shin Bet, and police were prepared for the elections and there was no reason to panic the public. He also criticized Netanyahu's security concerns, suggesting he should focus on enlisting ultra-Orthodox men into the IDF.

The aviation incident itself involved a Flydubai flight that triggered a hijacking alert in Israel around 9 a.m. Israeli fighter jets were scrambled, and the plane briefly disappeared from tracking systems before reappearing. It eventually landed in Saudi Arabia at 10 a.m., leading to the reopening of Israeli airspace. Flydubai confirmed a fight between the pilots caused the event, but Israeli officials indicated the co-pilot intended to crash the plane. A senior Israeli official described the incident as one pilot stabbing the other and attempting to hijack or crash the plane, with the aircraft in a dive before the crew regained control.