President Trump Says Iran Will Be Hit Hard If Found To Be Behind Terror Attack On Dubai-to-Tel Aviv Flight

BREAKING: A pilot aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv attacked the other pilot and attempted to seize control of the aircraft in terror attack.

The plane, carrying 174 Israeli passengers, plunged 14,000 feet before the situation was brought under control and… pic.twitter.com/FAgyt7dOpK

— Combat Antisemitism Movement (@CombatASemitism) September 30, 2026

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An Israeli passenger on a flydubai flight recounts the moment aboard the plane when a co-pilot of a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv tried to crash the plane after stabbing the other pilot https://t.co/kxYuQiQ8KM pic.twitter.com/r2Ie8x5Io8

— Reuters (@Reuters) September 30, 2026

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US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Tehran was likely to be involved in an attack by a pilot on a flydubai flight to Israel and that Iran would be “hit very hard” if it was.

The co-pilot allegedly assaulted the captain before passengers managed to save the plane from crashing. Israel’s prime minister said the man had undergone “Islamist radical indoctrination”.

“I would say the answer, based on what I’m hearing, is yes but we’re working on it right now,” Trump said when asked by reporters at the White House whether Iran was involved in the incident on the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.

On whether the US would retaliate against Iran if it was responsible for the attack, Trump replied: “Oh, they’ll be hit very hard, don’t worry.”

The US leader’s threat of retaliation came as he took a harsher tone on the stalled Iran war overall.

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POTUS

Trump says based on what he's hearing, the Omani

copilot of FlyDubai Flight FZ 1073 is linked to Iran

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— Aleph א (@no_itsmyturn) October 1, 2026

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement that one pilot had stabbed the other and “apparently attempted to crash the plane with its passengers on board,” nearly all of them Israelis.

He called the pilot who was stabbed, whom he identified as Capt. Smit Machchhar, a hero who saved the lives of 174 people.

“Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker — preventing a catastrophic midair disaster,” he said.

Much about the episode, including the cause of the struggle in the cockpit, remains unclear. The Israeli authorities were investigating whether it was an attempted attack on Israelis or a suicide attempt, among other possible explanations, according to several Israeli officials, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with government protocol.

The aircraft sent distress signals and abruptly reversed course near the Saudi-Jordanian border before making an emergency landing at an airport in Tabuk at about 9:45 a.m. local time. Israeli officials said the plane was carrying 160 to 180 passengers.

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