A single distress signal sent from the cockpit of a Flydubai plane carrying 174 passengers was enough to send Israel’s security establishment into one of its most tense and complex operations in recent memory.
The activation of various security bodies follows an orderly, almost automatic mechanism linking events aboard the aircraft directly and immediately to IDF command centers, putting the system on maximum alert within seconds.
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The fastest option was chosen: a civilian flight; Flydubai passengers in Saudi Arabia
(Photo: AFP/Courtesy of an anonymous source)
At first, there was genuine concern that an aircraft bound for Israel had been hijacked. Even before the full picture became clear, the first contingency plan was activated — the protocol for a suspected hijacking. The plan’s code name is barred from publication.
Two Israeli Air Force fighter jets were scrambled to intercept the aircraft, escort it and isolate the surrounding airspace. At the same time, Home Front Command units were placed on alert and General Staff negotiation teams were put on full readiness in case the plane landed in Israel.
Within minutes, however, the situation changed dramatically.
The “hijacked” plane made a sharp U-turn and moved away from Israel’s borders, heading back toward Saudi Arabia. Initial reports sent to the operations command center indicated that a violent confrontation had erupted inside the cockpit between the captain and the co-pilot — a fierce struggle during which passengers and crew members managed, with considerable resourcefulness, to overpower the attacker.
As the aircraft headed for an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, Israel’s course of action shifted completely.
At that stage, a second contingency plan was activated — a readiness order for a complex hostage-rescue operation in a foreign country. The code name of that plan is also barred from publication.
Once the alert was received that the aircraft was expected to land in Saudi Arabia, Israel’s security forces raised their readiness further. Air Force transport aircraft, including three Hercules planes, were prepared for immediate takeoff, and additional steps were taken as part of hostage-rescue procedures.
Shortly afterward, the IDF Operations Directorate and the broader security establishment concluded that the aircraft was landing in Saudi Arabia without having been hijacked and that its passengers were not being held hostage.
A senior military official said the options were examined with great caution, and three main alternatives were prepared for bringing the Israeli citizens home.
The first was a direct military evacuation using three Air Force Hercules aircraft that were standing by as part of the hostage-rescue order. The second was dispatching a designated civilian aircraft carrying military rescue teams. The third was relying on a civilian Flydubai flight.
They sought to avoid diplomatic friction; Mohammed bin Salman
(Photo: Nathan Howard/AP)
In the end, after detailed assessments and complex coordination behind the scenes, officials decided to use what they considered the fastest and safest option for the passengers: evacuation aboard a civilian flight.
Security officials said the main consideration for decision-makers was to avoid unnecessary diplomatic friction on Saudi soil.
At the same time, security officials stressed that all physical and operational systems were fully prepared to carry out any of the other options, including a direct military landing, if difficulties or security risks had emerged.
Senior Israeli security officials said the Saudi government’s conduct during the tense hours was very positive.
“Behind the scenes, there was a great deal of willingness on the Saudi side,” senior Israeli officials said, “and in the end, they took very significant action from our perspective.”
Although military officials have avoided describing the incident as a diplomatic breakthrough and have left such interpretation to the political leadership, the ongoing and positive coordination in such a sensitive setting demonstrated the ability of the two sides to work together in real time.
Passengers arrive at Ben Gurion Airport
(Video: Daniel Elmaleh)
The IDF said afterward that the operational orders and automatic mechanisms designed to protect Israeli airspace functioned adequately. The General Staff is expected to carry out a routine lessons-learned process in the coming days to further improve the system, with an emphasis on responding appropriately to rapidly developing and changing events.
Still, much remains unclear about the investigation, and difficult questions remain for Israeli security mechanisms that work with international airlines.
Officials will have to determine how an Omani pilot came to be flying Israeli passengers and entering Israeli airspace, and how the relevant security authorities were unaware of his recruitment by an airline that operates extensively in Israel, particularly in recent years.
Another question is whether he was part of a terrorist infrastructure or cell capable of deploying attackers in similar scenarios against Israelis abroad.
The investigation into the apparent security gap comes against the backdrop of the Shin Bet having barred Israeli airlines for months from landing in Dubai because of security concerns. However, the scenarios officials had considered were not similar to what ultimately unfolded aboard the Flydubai flight.
The expectation is that, following the unusual incident, changes will be made primarily behind the scenes in the relationship between the airline, similar carriers and Israeli security bodies.
The screening, questioning and vetting mechanisms relating to pilots carrying Israelis to Israel and other destinations are expected to undergo significant review and overhaul.