Netanyahu Praises Passengers Foiling Dubai Flight Attack

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday addressed for the first time an attempted attack on a flight from Dubai, commending the passengers who thwarted the incident. "I salute the heroes on the flight from Dubai who showed resourcefulness and courage. I have instructed the security establishment to prepare for additional potential threats," Netanyahu stated. The Prime Minister had altered his schedule earlier that day, en route to a visit to the Southern Command, to hold an urgent security assessment meeting. An Israeli official clarified that while there is no official confirmation of the perpetrator being a terrorist, the primary assessment suggests the incident was not an attempted hijacking but a lethal attempt to crash the plane on the ground. The investigation into the event has been jointly assigned to the Mossad and the Shin Bet.

Even before the security discussion, coalition members were exerting significant pressure for a strong response, viewing the incident as grounds for a broad military reaction, regardless of the attack being foiled in mid-air by passenger bravery. Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared that the "red line has been crossed," asserting, "The State of Israel must address the intent and not the outcome." He added, "Whoever tried to crash a plane and murder 180 Israelis must pay as if he murdered them, he and any country or terror organization that sent him. A song of thanks to the Almighty for the great miracle of salvation, but our duty is: 'I will pursue my enemies and destroy them, and I will not return until they are consumed.'"

Minister Amichai Chikli supported this aggressive stance, emphasizing the political obligation to draw serious conclusions from the incident. "As the details become clearer, it appears that through the incredible resourcefulness and courage of some of the Israeli passengers, a lethal attack and a very heavy national disaster were prevented here. This event must be treated in terms of its severity as if the attack had succeeded, in order to learn every possible lesson."