Netanyahu Addresses Dubai-Israel Flight Incident, Iran Involvement Unclear

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Thursday that it is too early to determine if Iran was involved in the attempted hijacking of a Dubai-Israel flight the previous day. Speaking in interviews with CNN and Fox News, Netanyahu said, "We will investigate and get to the bottom of the matter." He also indicated that the co-pilot would be handed over to the Emiratis, after which Israel would be included in the investigation. Netanyahu added that Israel had no prior warning of the attempted hijacking. The incident occurred on a flight returning from Saudi Arabia, when one of the pilots allegedly attempted to crash the plane. Netanyahu had met with the passengers upon their return. The Prime Minister also revealed that Israel had provided intelligence to the British about an impending Iran-backed attack, shortly before Britain imposed sanctions on Israel, which Netanyahu described as "crazy."

Netanyahu spoke with the passenger who managed to overpower the pilot and stabilize the aircraft after it had sharply descended. The Prime Minister had previously warned on Wednesday that "enemies will try to attack us" ahead of elections. Following the flight incident, opposition leader Yair Lapid clarified that no information about a potential plane hijacking attempt was conveyed during a security briefing, despite his earlier call for security coordination and his dismissal of Netanyahu's warning. Many right-wing journalists subsequently called for Lapid's resignation, accusing him of downplaying Netanyahu's warning.