Netanyahu Cautious, Defense Minister Blames Jihadist Plot

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a serious security incident aboard a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Israel, stating that one of the pilots likely attempted to crash the plane with its passengers. He reported that the pilot stabbed the co-pilot and tried to sabotage the aircraft's systems before being neutralized by other crew members and passengers. Netanyahu praised the individuals who intervened, preventing a potential catastrophe, and confirmed the suspect is being interrogated by Saudi authorities. He also instructed the security establishment to prepare for further potential threats.

Defense Minister Israel Katz was more definitive, labeling the incident a "jihadist terror attempt." He implied that political rivals should heed security warnings issued by the government, suggesting they are based on intelligence and not merely for show. Katz emphasized that these warnings do not replace proactive offensive operations against threats.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid countered that the incident bore no resemblance to any security updates he received from Netanyahu the previous day. He accused the government of attempting to politicize the event for "cheap politics" at the expense of Israel's security. However, a diplomatic source told N12 that Lapid was indeed briefed on a significant increase in foreign terror threats, unlike anything seen in years. Lapid disputed this, claiming the warning was general and had existed for over two years, not specifically related to aircraft incidents, and accused the "irresponsible diplomatic source" of lying and attempting to exploit the heroic actions of the passengers.