Saudi Arabia has rejected a request from Israel to allow Israeli military aircraft to enter the kingdom and pick up passengers from a flydubai flight that made an emergency landing in Tabuk, according to two security sources.
The flight, operated by flydubai from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was diverted to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after an incident in the cockpit. The airline confirmed that the aircraft landed safely at Tabuk Airport and that all passengers were safe and accounted for.
The request reportedly involved Israeli military planes transporting the passengers back to Israel. Saudi Arabia does not have diplomatic relations with Israel. The Saudi government media office did not immediately comment on the reported request.
The passengers were ultimately flown onward on a replacement flydubai aircraft. Tabuk Airport said all passengers departed for their final destination on the replacement aircraft later Wednesday.
The emergency landing followed a serious incident involving the flight crew. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the co-pilot stabbed the pilot and attempted to crash the aircraft, after which passengers intervened and restrained him. However, the circumstances and motive remain under investigation, and flydubai initially described the event as an “incident” and later confirmed that an altercation had occurred in the flight deck.
Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft experienced a rapid descent before issuing emergency signals and diverting toward Tabuk. Both the captain and co-pilot were injured and taken to hospital following the aircraft’s landing, according to Tabuk Airport.
The incident comes amid continued diplomatic efforts involving Saudi Arabia and Israel. US President Donald Trump has pushed for Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords, while Riyadh has maintained that progress toward Palestinian statehood is a condition for establishing formal relations with Israel.
A senior Saudi official also denied reports of a meeting between Saudi and Israeli officials.
Meanwhile, Saudi authorities and aviation officials are investigating the circumstances surrounding the flight incident, while passengers have since continued their journey to Israel.
