Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has become the loudest voice describing what happened aboard flydubai flight FZ1073.
In little more than 24 hours, the prime minister released a video statement, posted on X, met passengers at Ben Gurion Airport and gave interviews to CNN, CBS News and Fox News.
Investigators have released very little.
That makes Netanyahu the main public source of detail on the attack, the suspect and the security response. Here is what he has said, and what it means for aviation.
What Happened Aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073
The flight departed Dubai for Tel Aviv on Wednesday 30 September with 174 people on board.
Around two and a half hours into the journey, over Jordan, the aircraft plunged more than 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds, according to The New Arab.
The crew squawked a general emergency, then signalled unlawful interference.
Off duty flydubai crew travelling on the flight secured the aircraft and diverted it to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely.
Netanyahu’s First Statement On The Attack
The prime minister broke the news in a video message on Wednesday.
He said that as the flight approached Israel, one pilot stabbed the other and apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board.
He called the passengers heroes who prevented a major disaster. He also noted that most people on board were Israeli.
In a separate CNN account, he said the attacker tried to sabotage the aircraft’s system during the struggle.
Netanyahu Names The Captain As A Hero
The Israeli leader publicly identified the injured captain as Smit Machchhar, an Indian national. On X, he said the captain fought back, opened the cockpit door and allowed passengers and crew to overpower the attacker.
“He is a true hero,” he wrote.
Machchhar has since undergone surgery in Saudi Arabia.
Speaking to Fox News, he said the captain was stabbed in the head and lost a great deal of blood.
Netanyahu Invokes 9/11
The most striking line came in Netanyahu’s CNN interview on Wednesday evening.
He said the pilots “managed to prevent a 9/11 disaster,” adding that this was what the attack appeared to be.
The prime minister also gave a detailed account of the fight in the cockpit.
He said Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayun, a plumber, pulled back on the controls while another passenger and a crew member subdued the attacker. Reserve pilots then took over and stabilised the aircraft.
He met Hayun at Ben Gurion Airport and said the passenger was covered in the captain’s blood.
He returned on Thursday to meet more passengers and praise their courage.
Netanyahu also drew on personal history, an angle he returns to often when discussing aviation security.
He was wounded during the 1972 commando raid that freed passengers aboard hijacked Sabena Flight 571.
What Netanyahu Has Said About The Weapon
No investigator has confirmed the weapon.
Netanyahu told CBS News the captain was stabbed or hit with an axe, and offered two theories on how the attacker armed himself.
The first is that the first officer may not have passed through a metal detector before boarding. The second points to the flight deck itself.
“He might have gotten an axe from the equipment that might be standard,” he said.
That second theory matters. Airliners routinely carry crash axes in the cockpit for breaking through panels during a fire or escaping in an emergency.
Netanyahu On The Suspect And Motive
Netanyahu told CNN the suspect is an Omani national being questioned in Saudi Arabia.
He added that the UAE agreed Israel could take part in the interrogation, and that the suspect would soon move to the UAE.
On Thursday, he went further. He told Fox News the first officer underwent “Islamist radical indoctrination.”
He also said the attacker obviously hated Israelis, though he admitted his exact background remains unclear.
Crucially, the prime minister said investigators hold no specific information linking Iran to the attack.
Netanyahu And The Security Response
Netanyahu moved quickly on security.
His office said he ordered security to be ramped up on Israeli and foreign carriers serving Israel.
The government also said it would check the identity of every pilot flying into the country.
The prime minister spoke with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed on Wednesday.
“I spoke with bin Zayed and we agreed to arrange the security issues,” he said. The UAE has approved Shin Bet personnel conducting inspections at Dubai Airport.
Flydubai has suspended its Israel flights while it investigates. He also briefed President Trump, who praised the passengers.
The Political Backdrop To Netanyahu’s Comments
Not everyone accepts Netanyahu’s framing. Opposition leader Yair Lapid accused the government of exploiting the scare for political gain.
The New Arab reported that early Israeli media accounts floated a possible suicide attempt or a personal cockpit dispute.
Investigators have not established a motive, and neither flydubai nor the UAE has publicly attributed one.
Netanyahu’s language of terrorism and 9/11 currently runs ahead of the official evidence.
Analysis: What Netanyahu’s Words Mean For Aviation
Strip away the politics and Netanyahu has raised two serious aviation questions.
The first is crew vetting. Oman has no diplomatic relations with Israel, yet Channel 12 reported that dozens of Omani flydubai pilots have flown there.
Israel checking every pilot’s identity would mark a major shift for foreign carriers.
The second is the insider threat. Reinforced cockpit doors exist to keep attackers out. They offer no protection when the attacker is already at the controls.
If Netanyahu’s crash axe theory proves correct, regulators will also face hard questions about emergency equipment.
This flight survived because the captain fought back, the cockpit door opened and trained crew sat in the cabin.
Netanyahu has framed that outcome as heroism, and he is right that the people on board deserve credit.
Aviation authorities will need to ensure it does not depend on luck.
Continue to follow The Aviation Hub for more analysis and insight.
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