{
  "id": 13694928,
  "title": "Israeli President calls flydubai pilot Captain Smit Machchhar a hero, promises highest civilian bravery award",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/11/israeli-president-calls-flydubai-pilot-captain-smit-machchhar-a-hero",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-11T10:07:42.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/israeli-president-calls-flydubai-pilot-captain-smit-machchhar-a-hero-promises-highest-civilian-bravery-award-1.500706397"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Israeli President Isaac Herzog has hailed Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar as a hero, lauding his actions during a flydubai flight that saved 174 lives. In a letter to Machchhar, Herzog compared his heroism to that of Indian soldiers who liberated cities in the region over a century ago, highlighting that Machchhar would now become a part of Israel's history. The president pledged to present the highest civilian bravery award to the pilot once he recovers, emphasizing that his courage, professionalism, and calm under pressure were instrumental in averting a disaster.",
  "summary": "Israeli President Isaac Herzog has praised Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his courage in helping save 174 people aboard a flydubai aircraft , calling him a hero of Israel, India and humanity. In a letter to Machchhar, Herzog compared his actions to those of Indian soldiers who risked their lives more than a century ago to liberate cities in the region, saying the pilot would become a…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}