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By Ellie Cook
Senior Defense Reporter
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A flight bound for Israel was unexpectedly redirected to Saudi Arabia after an incident onboard the commercial aircraft, the plane's operator said on Wednesday. Several Israeli officials have described the incident as "terrorism" amid reports of an attempted hijacking.
All passengers aboard the FlyDubai flight from Dubai, originally headed for Tel Aviv, are safe and accounted for, a spokesperson for the airline told Gulf News.
Footage widely shared on social media appeared to show a passenger in a blood-stained white T-shirt aboard the aircraft. Another clip purports to show rows of travelers celebrating as the aircraft touches down in Saudi Arabia. These videos could not be immediately verified.
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Flight tracking data reviewed by Newsweek shows the plane was diverted to Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, northwestern Saudi Arabia, after taking off from Dubai's international airport early on Wednesday.
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The aircraft's trajectory dramatically changed roughly two hours into the flight as it briefly entered Jordanian air space and broadcast emergency signals.
Conflicting details quickly emerged of the situation on the aircraft, which anonymous sources described to CNN as the result of a "violent incident" between two pilots.
Israeli authorities assess there may have been an attempted "terror attack" carried out by one of the aircraft's pilots, Reuters reported, citing three unnamed Israeli officials.
Israel's security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, said in a social media post that a "terrorist" had "planned to crash a plane and murder the 180 Israelis on board." Israel's far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, said the person responsible for the incident and "every state or terrorist organization" involved "must pay." Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett used the term "armed hijacker" in describing the events that had unfolded on the plane.
Some Israeli reports have described the pilots as Russian and Ukrainian, while others claimed the pair are Omani or Emirati nationals. Newsweek has not been able to independently verify either claim.
Doron ​Spielman, an Israeli prime ministerial spokesperson, told Reuters it was not believed to have been a hijacking, but a "different incident." Spielman did not immediately return a Newsweek request for comment.
Israel's i24 News outlet reported a passenger had observed a pilot with stab wounds after a brawl in the plane's cockpit. Another traveler told Israel's Channel 12 a pilot was wounded by a pocketknife. Newsweek has not verified the claims.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said it had held "consultations" and was "monitoring developments" around the flight diversion.
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"The incident is under control, and all measures are currently being deployed in order to return the Israeli passengers safely to Israel," Netanyahu's office said.
Tracking platform FlightRadar24 said it recorded "extreme fluctuations in the transmitted altitude data" from the FlyDubai flight, before the aircraft issued a 7700 squawk alert.
A 7700 squawk code refers to a general emergency, but doesn't specify the nature of an incident. It's been described by aviation experts as the "mayday" of squawk codes.
Flight trackers said the flight took off from Dubai shortly after 3 a.m. UTC on Wednesday (11 p.m. EDT). Just over two hours later, the plane's altitude started to fluctuate and quickly dropped by more than 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds, according to Flightradar24.
Roughly 10 minutes after the aircraft's altitude initially changed, a 7700 squawk was sent from the cockpit. This was quickly followed by a 7500 squawk, tracking information shows. This typically refers to "unlawful interference," and can sometimes be used to warn of a hijacking situation.
The plane was recorded landing at Tabuk at roughly 6:45 a.m. UTC (2:45 a.m. EDT).
Israel and the United Arab Emirates reached a deal to normalize relations between the two countries in 2020, as part of the broader Abraham Accords designed to improve ties between Israel and its Arab neighbors.
Update, 09/30/26, 07:42 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with a new headline and more information.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Tobias Meyjes and Tony Phillips.
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