Netanyahu orders security review after flydubai pilot stabs captain

October 5, 2026 at 12:15 AM2 min

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a comprehensive review of security for foreign civil aviation after a flydubai co-pilot stabbed the captain on a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight. The National Security Council will appoint an official to conduct the review. The incident has intensified calls to investigate security gaps, even as Transport Minister Miri Regev rejected her ministry's responsibility.

Key Facts

A flydubai co-pilot from Oman stabbed the captain, an Indian citizen, on a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight on Wednesday.
Netanyahu instructed National Security Council chief Shmuel Ben-Ezri to appoint an official to conduct the security review.
Transport Minister Miri Regev said security oversight of foreign airlines falls under Mossad and Shin Bet, not her ministry.
A 2024 state comptroller's report found Israel had no clear division of responsibility for security of foreign airlines.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid called the announced review a sham.

The In-Flight Attack

A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was the scene of an attack on Wednesday when a co-pilot from Oman stabbed the captain, an Indian citizen, and attempted to crash the aircraft. Israeli media reported the co-pilot may have intended to crash the plane on Israeli territory. The incident prompted calls in Israel to investigate security shortcomings that allowed the co-pilot to work on a flight to Tel Aviv. Critics noted that Oman has no diplomatic relations with Israel.

Responsibility Dispute

Transport Minister Miri Regev rejected her ministry's responsibility, stating that security oversight of flights operated by foreign airlines falls within the remit of Mossad and Shin Bet. A 2024 state comptroller's report stated that Israel had no clear division of responsibility for the security of foreign airlines operating flights to the country. Former Transport Ministry Director General Keren Turner, now running for parliament with the opposition, placed responsibility on Regev, citing the Civil Aviation Authority's direct subordination to her ministry. Opposition leader Yair Lapid called the announced review a sham. Gadi Eisenkot, one of Netanyahu's leading rivals ahead of the October 27 election, said that if the government were functioning properly, the transport minister should resign.