President Donald Trump warned of severe retaliation against Iran after an in-flight knife attack on a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel-Aviv forced an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on September 30, 2026, as international investigators probe potential extremist motives and regional security reinforcements move into the Middle East.
Flight FZ 1073 departed Dubai on Wednesday morning, September 30, carrying 174 people—including 166 Israeli citizens, according to media counts—toward Ben-Gurion International Airport near Tel-Aviv before violence erupted inside the cockpit.
Cockpit Attack Forces Emergency Landing in Saudi Arabia
Flight data and traveler testimonies reveal a terrifying sequence of events. A passenger described the circumstances in which a few Israeli passengers were able to regain control of the aircraft during the attempted hijacking according to accounts given to television broadcasters and reported by Radio-Canada. During the ensuing struggle, flight tracking records from Flightradar24 showed the aircraft abruptly plunging 14,000 feet—roughly 4,600 meters—in less than thirty seconds, or about 5,000 meters in a minute.
Passengers rushed forward to subdue the attacker. After issuing a first alert code at 8:31 a.m. followed by a hijacking alert seven minutes later and losing contact for long minutes, the aircraft landed safely at Tabuk Airport in northeastern Saudi Arabia at 8:45 a.m. Following the incident, La Libre noted that Flydubai suspended its connections with Israel, while TV5Monde reported that Indian artist Sudarsan Pattnaix honored Indian pilot Smit Machchhar with a sand sculpture in Puri, India, on October 1, 2026.
Trump Warns Iran of Severe Military Strikes
Speaking at the White House, United States President Donald Trump stated his belief that Iran bore responsibility for the incident, telling reporters during an exchange reported by 24 heures that he would say the answer is yes based on what he hears, while noting work is underway on the matter. When asked if Washington would retaliate should Tehran’s involvement be proven, Trump warned that the country would face severe military strikes, telling a journalist They will be hit very hard, don't worry about it
, and Cedar News added that he warned of a large-scale attack if confirmed. The United States has not carried out strikes against Iran since September 1, although vessels in the Strait of Hormuz are regularly targeted.
In an interview with Time magazine published Thursday, Donald Trump judged it possible to intensify attacks against Iran following the mid-term congressional elections in early November. Two US aircraft carriers are already stationed in the Middle East, though it is unclear whether the incoming vessel will bring the total to three or replace an existing carrier.
Israel Denounces Terrorist Attempt as Injured Pilot Recovers
Without waiting for the results of ongoing investigations, Israel denounced a jihadist terrorist attack attempt targeting the United Arab Emirates and the Abraham Accords that normalized relations between the two countries in 2020. Speaking publicly on the flight for the first time, Saudi authorities confirmed Thursday that the co-pilot attacked his colleague, without detailing his motives.
Meanwhile, the wounded Indian captain, Smit Machchhar, whose blood-stained uniform made the front page of several Israeli newspapers on Thursday, was successfully transferred from Saudi Arabia to the UAE, where he is in good health and recovering well according to the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, while TV5Monde and other outlets noted varying passenger counts with 174 total occupants on board.