Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a comprehensive security review of international flights arriving in Israel following a Sept. 30 incident in which an Omani co-pilot attempted to crash a flydubai plane en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The co-pilot reportedly stabbed the Indian captain before trying to bring down the aircraft over Israeli territory.
In a statement issued on Oct. 4, Netanyahu instructed Shmuel Ben Ezra, head of the National Security Council, to designate an examiner for a thorough evaluation of security protocols involving foreign civil aviation to Israel. The move comes amid growing public and political calls for accountability over the perceived security lapse.
Israeli media reported that the co-pilot’s motives and the failure to prevent a pilot from a country without diplomatic ties to Israel from operating a flight bound for Tel Aviv have raised significant concerns. Critics argue that safeguards were insufficient to detect or deter such a threat, especially given recent reports of pilots from hostile countries flying into Israel repeatedly over the past few years.
Transport Minister Miri Regev rejected responsibility for the breach, emphasizing that oversight of foreign airline security is managed by the Mossad and Shin Bet, Israel’s foreign and domestic intelligence agencies. This delineation has been questioned in light of a 2024 state comptroller report, which identified unclear divisions of responsibility regarding security for foreign carriers and recommended government action to clarify oversight roles.
Opposition figures sharply criticized the government’s response. Keren Terner, former director-general of the Transport Ministry and current parliamentary candidate for the opposition, placed accountability squarely on Regev, noting that the Civil Aviation Authority operates directly under her ministry. Terner stated on social media that the Ministry of Transportation bears the legal responsibility for foreign airline security, not the intelligence agencies.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid characterized the announced security review as a “sham investigation,” linking it to what he described as Netanyahu’s broader pattern of evading scrutiny, including on matters related to the Oct. 7 massacre. Gadi Eisenkot, a prominent challenger ahead of the Oct. 27 election, wrote that a functioning government would have prompted the transportation minister to resign immediately following the incident.
The incident and ensuing controversy have intensified scrutiny on aviation security procedures and governmental accountability in Israel as the nation approaches a tightly contested national election.