So, we’re told a major terror operation was just heroically thwarted: involving a potential hijacked plane headed for Israel.
A dramatic mid-air confrontation, a plunging plane, an emergency diversion and landing. It all sounded compelling. Cinematic, even.
To briefly recap the alleged incident, I’ll cite the BBC’s summary here. We were told ‘A flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after one pilot stabbed the other and “apparently tried to crash the plane”…’
The attacking pilot was reportedly an Omani national. The stabbed pilot was reportedly an Indian captain, who opened the cockpit door to allow passengers to storm in and confront the supposed hijacker.
The Omani was subdued and the plane was diverted to Saudi Arabia by off-duty pilots.
The incident is under investigation by authorities in the U.A.E. The Saudis are also examining the perpetrator, and the Israelis will join the investigation.
I’m not going to go into the flight or radar data, as that’s not an area of expertise for me: but Craig Murray examines some of that here.
The flight had taken off from Dubai International Airport and was destined for Tel Aviv. We’re told ‘almost all’ of the 170 or so passengers were Israeli.
Does any of this sound plausible so far? I’ll refrain from saying.
According to the BBC summary, one witness ‘told Israeli public broadcaster Kan that he and other passengers tied the attacker up “with his own zip ties and with the multimedia headphones”…’
Interestingly, it’s unclear whether the hijacker intended to simply crash the plane at the time of the incident or whether he intended to take the flight all the way into Israel.
Benjamin Netanyahu has said this could have been “another 9/11”. So he presumably is implying the hijacked plane would’ve been going into Israel.
Does any of this story seem likely? It has a certain action movie quality to it, doesn’t it? Stick Bruce Willis in there and you’ve got a hit.
A former head of Mossad kind of inadvertently expressed this unlikeliness when she told Sky News, ‘I can say that it’s very close to a miracle… The other miracle was that there were other pilots on the plane that were just travelling, not connected to the flight…’
I mean, yes, sure. Miracles.
But if the dubious nature of this alleged thwarted hijacking wasn’t already a concern, then how about this little gem?
We’re told the ‘hero Israeli plumber’ who took control of the plunging Flydubai plane had learned to fly from a TV show!
Yaniv Hayoun helped thwart what they’re calling “Israel’s 9/11”(their words, not mine) after supposedly overpowering the knifeman who allegedly stabbed the pilot and planned to crash the flight.
Hayoun was greeted at Tel Aviv airport to a hero’s welcome, including by Benjamin Netanyahu himself. In a carefully staged interview, he told the Israeli PM that he’d learned to fly by watching the TV show Air Crash Investigations.
Look, all of this could be what actually happened. Strange things happen, right? Far be it from me to imply otherwise.
And there is enough ill feeling towards Israel that someone might try something crazy like what’s been described.
We can note though that the story clearly evokes the 9/11 attacks: which recently had their twenty-fifth anniversary (which I covered here). And which Israel was centrally involved in (which I covered here, among other places).
It also occurs just as the anniversary of the October 7th attack is approaching. Fittingly enough, at least one of the passengers on this flight is reported to have been an October 7th survivor. October 7th was already labelled as “Israel’s 9/11”, by the way.
And it also occurs weeks ahead of Benjamin Netanyahu’s crucial re-election campaign as he attempts to extend his twenty years in power.
The political future of Israel is very much in the balance. Netanyahu is still also under pressure concerning the blocking of investigations into the events of October 7th: as I previously discussed here.
So, this incident is conveniently good timing all around.
Also, the 170 or so Israeli passengers strikes me as curious, as this flight was from Dubai and my understanding is that it’s uncommon for Israelis to visit Arab states (for obvious reasons). I suppose Dubai is considered a safe place, so let’s let that one slide.
It’s curious also that all of the people involved are Israelis or Israeli allies. The passengers and heroes were all Israeli. The stabbed pilot was Indian – India is a key Israeli ally.
And the airline and point of origin, the U.A.E, is Israel’s key Arab ally: which I’ve touched on here, regarding not just the Israeli/U.A.E alliance but the vital Epstein element in that equation, and what’s been going on in Gaza, Somalia and Sudan.
And it’s the U.A.E, the Saudis and the Israelis who are conducting the investigation and will determine the official story.
So I’m not sure how trustworthy we should consider the outcome.
But, as ever, draw your own conclusions as to what happened here.
