IAF soldiers reveal air force's initial response to flydubai attempted hijacking
A reservist serving as head of national airspace defense in the Air Control Array said the aircraft was first detected between Saudi Arabia and Jordan and appeared to be heading for Tel Aviv.
An Israel Air Force officer detected an aircraft's distress signal from FlyDubai last week, initially assuming it was a technical issue. However, a second signal indicated the plane may have been hijacked, drastically changing the assessment. The officer described the second signal as "another emergency signal, but it became the signal for a hijacked aircraft."
This was the first real hijacking incident he encountered. The air force quickly escalated its response, scrambling fighter jets after receiving the hijacking signal, given the possibility of Israeli passengers on board. The situation remained uncertain as the aircraft turned away from Israel, leading to a detailed war game to prepare for potential scenarios.
The air force remained vigilant until receiving confirmation that the aircraft had landed safely and the Israeli passengers were accounted for.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
