Israeli Transport Minister Rebuffs Opposition Leader Over Flydubai Security Incident

Israel's Minister of Transport, Miri Regev, has strongly refuted accusations from Opposition leader Yair Lapid regarding security failures on a recent Flydubai flight. Regev stated that the Ministry of Transport is not a security or intelligence agency and therefore not responsible for vetting pilots or accessing related data. She criticized Lapid, calling him "superficial, shallow, and dishonest" and claiming he "understands nothing about aviation."

Regev's comments come amid reports that Israeli agencies had previously warned the Ministry of Transport about its inadequate security oversight of foreign airlines operating in Israel, specifically concerning the vetting of foreign carriers' pilots. Lapid had previously asserted that passengers, especially those with young children, should not be told that 100% security cannot be guaranteed. He called for responsible specialists to manage and be accountable for aviation security, linking this approach to the "Be Yahad" party.

Earlier, former Director General of the Ministry of Transport, Keren Turner, had stated that the ministry is indeed responsible for the security of foreign airlines, contradicting Regev's current stance after Regev initially placed responsibility on security services for the Flydubai incident.