Netanyahu connecting Flydubai incident to Iran to manipulate upcoming election: Report
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet is exploiting the Flydubai incident to create an Iranian connection and prolong the crisis for electoral gain, a report says.
“Israel is exploiting the attack for political purposes and delaying the return of FlyDubai flights. The elections are managing the event, not logic,” an anonymous source close to the UAE government told Israeli daily YNET on Friday.
The remarks came after Flydubai suspended flights to the Israeli-occupied territories following a September 30 incident aboard flight FZ1073, which was carrying more than 170 passengers from Dubai to Tel Aviv before making an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
According to reports, an Omani co-pilot allegedly entered the cockpit and sent the aircraft into a sharp descent before the captain and passengers intervened and helped regain control of the plane.
The UAE source questioned Israel’s decision to operate special “rescue flights” to bring stranded Israelis home while Flydubai remained suspended, asking, “If passengers can board an Arkia flight, why not Flydubai?”
“There is no war,” the source said, rejecting the description of the situation as an emergency requiring special rescue flights.
The source also said Emirati authorities were conducting their own investigation into the Omani co-pilot and were prepared to tighten screening procedures for airline crews.
A Flydubai flight bound for Israel transmitted a hijacking emergency code on Wednesday morning—but as the days go by, the official narrative appears to leave more questions than answers.
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“We are going crazy over Israel’s behavior,” the source said, comparing Israel’s conduct to “an arsonist who runs to start the fire and then runs to put it out.”
Netanyahu has sought to connect the incident to a broader Iranian threat, saying the pilot had undergone what he called “radicalization” and that authorities were examining whether he had been sent by another party.
US President Donald Trump also falsely alleged that Iran could be linked to the episode, although Netanyahu had earlier acknowledged that it was too early to establish such a connection.
The timing has drawn further scrutiny because Netanyahu claimed on September 29 that “Israel’s enemies” could attempt attacks ahead of the election, one day before the Flydubai incident.
Former Israeli adviser Daniel Levy said the episode could benefit Netanyahu by pushing other politically damaging issues out of the headlines and replacing them with a story centered on Iran.
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