Israel Recognizes Flydubai Incident as Hostile Act, Passengers as Victims

By אבי אשכנזי, מיטל שרעבי

Translated & summarized from Maariv by baba

CenterCharged tone

Hebrew · 10 newsrooms covering

Israel's Shin Bet and Mossad investigated an incident on a Flydubai flight, determining it was a nationalistic terror attack. The Ministry of Defense recognized it as a hostile act, granting victim status to all 180 passengers. The flight had experienced a severe dive and extreme G-forces before an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

The story in 5 lines · by baba

Shin Bet and Mossad investigation classified Flydubai flight incident as terror attack.
All 180 passengers on the Flydubai flight will be recognized as victims of hostile acts.
The Ministry of Defense officially declared the flight incident an act of hostility.
The aircraft experienced a dangerous dive and extreme G-forces during the incident.
Pilots regained control and landed the damaged plane in Saudi Arabia.

Israel Recognizes Flydubai Incident as Hostile Act, Passengers as Victims — Editorial illustration generated by baba News, not a photograph of the event.

Following an investigation by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) with assistance from the Mossad, an attempted hijacking of a Flydubai flight has been officially classified as a nationalistic terror attack. The Ministry of Defense has recognized the incident as an act of hostility, entitling all 180 passengers to be recognized by the National Insurance Institute as victims of hostile acts.

The Ministry of Defense confirmed the decision, stating that upon receiving official confirmation from authorized investigative bodies in Israel, the approving authority within the ministry recognized the attempted attack on the Flydubai flight as a hostile act. This decision has been conveyed to the National Insurance Institute, which is in contact with the affected passengers for further processing.

The incident on Flydubai flight 1073 was far more severe than initially understood. The Boeing 737 MAX aircraft experienced a rapid dive of 39 degrees and approached the speed of sound, with G-forces exceeding the aircraft's operational limits. Despite the extreme conditions, the plane did not break apart in mid-air.

Two pilots, who were in the passenger cabin, managed to regain control of the aircraft after the co-pilot was incapacitated and the captain was injured. They flew the damaged plane for over an hour before successfully landing it at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.