Netanyahu warns 'very heavy price' if any power behind flydubai incident

Jerusalem - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a stern warning on Friday that Israel would impose a "very heavy price" on any party behind the flydubai incident, without presenting any evidence to back up his claim. "As time passes, the picture is becoming clearer: The attacker, He came to crash the plane with all passengers on board," Netanyahu stated in a statement.

"We are investigating whether he was sent, and whoever sent him will pay a very heavy price," Netanyahu added, referring to the co-pilot who carried out the attack.

Although Netanyahu did not name any specific country as a potential culprit, he has been known to frequently accuse Iran, which Israel and the United States attacked in February. Passengers on the flight thwarted the co-pilot's attempt to crash the plane, according to Netanyahu.

President Donald Trump, in response to a question about Iran's involvement, claimed on Thursday that he was "hearing" reports that Iran was behind the incident. He added that if Iran was indeed responsible, it would "be hit very hard." Israel and the United States have been linked to numerous attacks around the world since the Islamic republic's founding in 1979, but there is little-known connection between Iran and hijackings, which were common tactics of Al-Qaeda during the September 11, 2001 attacks and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in the 1960s and 1970s.

Netanyahu previously suggested that the pilot was from Oman and left open the possibility that he may have been experiencing mental health issues. Israeli officials and witnesses reported that the co-pilot of the Tel Aviv-bound flight stabbed the Indian pilot on Wednesday, causing passengers to overpower the attacker and force the plane to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia with no casualties reported.