Israel-bound flight forced to land in Saudi Arabia after ‘violent incident’ between pilots

Published September 30, 2026 8:11am ET | Updated September 30, 2026 12:39pm ET



A plane traveling from Dubai bound for Tel Aviv diverted over Jordan to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after falling over 17,000 feet mid-air.

The diversion occurred after a “violent incident” between two pilots on board the Flydubai flight. The details of the incident are still under investigation, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one pilot stabbed the other and then tried to crash the plane.

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