Full Breakdown
Netanyahu Orders Security Review After Flydubai Attack
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
- On September 30, 2026, Flydubai flight FZ1073 departed Dubai for Tel Aviv with 174 people aboard.
- Co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami, an Omani national, stabbed captain Smit Machchhar and attempted to seize control, causing the Boeing 737 MAX 8 to plunge over 14,000 feet in less than a minute.
- Machchhar opened the cockpit door despite his injuries; passengers and two off-duty pilots subdued the attacker and stabilized the aircraft for an emergency landing at Tabuk Airport, Saudi Arabia.
- No passengers were killed; the captain was treated in a Saudi hospital.
Background & Context
- Israel’s aviation security rules bar pilots from countries without diplomatic relations from operating flights to Israel, a restriction that previously applied only to captains.
- A 2024 State Comptroller report noted unclear responsibility between the Mossad, Shin Bet and the Transportation Ministry for vetting foreign airline crews.
- The incident occurred weeks before Israel’s October 27 general election and amid ongoing hostilities with Iran-backed groups.
Data & Statistics
- Passengers: 174 (majority Israeli).
- Descent: 14,000-17,000 feet in under 30 seconds (flight-tracker data).
- Security review ordered on October 4, 2026.
Official Statements & Responses
- He praised Machchhar as a “true hero.”
- Defence Minister Israel Katz described it as an “attempted jihadist terror attack.”
- Transport Minister Miri Regev said intelligence responsibilities lie with Mossad and Shin Bet, not her ministry.
- The United Arab Emirates’ prosecutor general launched an investigation; Israel announced it would join the UAE-led probe.
Criticism & Opposition
- “You are responsible for the security of foreign companies. Not the Shin Bet, not Mossad. You. That’s what the law stipulates,” — Keren Terner.
- Opposition leader Yair Lapid dismissed the security review as a “sham investigation.”
- Former prime minister Naftali Bennett linked the failure to the October 7 2023 massacre and vowed to replace the ministers.
- Former transportation minister Keren Turner-Eyal blamed Regev for ignoring the State Comptroller’s warning.
On-the-Ground Reports
- Captain Machchhar recounted the attack, saying, “I had that one last fight left in me,” describing his effort to open the cockpit door despite severe wounds.
- Passenger Yaniv Hayun entered the cockpit, restrained the attacker, and used knowledge from an aviation TV show to help level the aircraft.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Israeli officials have described the act both as an “attempted terrorist attack” and as a “suicide attempt.”
- No public evidence links the co-pilot to Iran; Netanyahu said it is “too early to say” whether external actors were involved.
- The co-pilot remains in Saudi custody, later transferred to the UAE; motives and planning remain under investigation.
What’s Next
- The security review ordered on October 4, 2026 will examine vetting procedures for all foreign civil aviation to Israel.
- Israeli authorities, together with UAE and Saudi counterparts, will continue questioning the co-pilot and reviewing airline crew background checks ahead of the October 27 election.
- Flydubai has suspended flights to and from Israel pending the investigation’s outcome.