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Saudi Arabia Denies Israel's Request for Planes to Retrieve Stranded Flydubai Passengers
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News18•01-10-2026, 02:58
Saudi Arabia Denies Israel's Request for Planes to Retrieve Stranded Flydubai Passengers
- •Saudi Arabia denied Israel's request to send military planes to retrieve Israeli passengers from a Flydubai flight that made an emergency landing in Tabuk.
- •The Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted after an incident where the co-pilot allegedly stabbed the pilot and tried to crash the aircraft.
- •Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that passengers helped restrain the attacker, and other crew members landed the plane safely.
- •Saudi Arabia and Israel do not have diplomatic relations, and the kingdom has maintained it will not join the Abraham Accords without a clear pathway to Palestinian statehood.
- •Flydubai has suspended flights to and from Israel as authorities investigate the incident, with all passengers and crew reported safe.
Key Questions Answered
Saudi Arabia denied a request from Israel to allow Israeli military aircraft into the kingdom to retrieve stranded Israeli passengers from a diverted Flydubai flight. Both countries do not have formal diplomatic relations.
The Flydubai flight was forced to divert to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia after an onboard incident where the co-pilot allegedly stabbed the pilot and attempted to crash the aircraft before being restrained by passengers and crew.
Saudi Arabia has maintained that it will not join the Abraham Accords and establish diplomatic ties with Israel without a clear pathway towards Palestinian statehood.
