Saudi Arabia Backs Israel's Terror Attack Assessment on Flydubai Flight

Saudi Arabian officials have commented on the background of a serious incident aboard a Flydubai flight carrying Israelis, with preliminary findings from the investigation indicating the event is being treated as a terrorist act. This assessment comes from high-ranking Saudi and U.S. officials, according to NBC News. The exact method by which the co-pilot managed to bring a weapon aboard and attack the captain, leading to the aircraft losing thousands of feet in altitude rapidly, remains unclear. Passengers reported that the attacker was subdued and the plane made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. Avitar Levi, a 17-year-old passenger, described the intense fear and chaos, with passengers screaming and running through the cabin amidst blood. Initially believing it was a technical malfunction, he later heard shouts about an attack on the pilots. Motti Cohen Or, 70, recounted hearing a woman scream about a knife attack in the cockpit before the plane plunged downwards. Yaniv Hayon, seen in a video wearing a bloodstained shirt, stated he entered the cockpit and helped disarm the attacking pilot. A senior U.S. official familiar with the Israeli investigation indicated there are currently no signs of Iranian involvement. Israeli authorities have also not officially linked the incident to Tehran, with two sources in Israeli security services confirming no Iranian trace has been found so far. The flight's crew change was reportedly due to pilot duty time limitations, as the original crew would have exceeded their allowed hours if the flight had continued. The passengers were later transported to Tel Aviv.