Israel

Israel to honour Indian pilot Smit Machchhar with top civilian award

Israel will honour Captain Smit Machchhar with its highest civilian award for helping avert a suspected crash of a flydubai flight, while the US Congress has also recognised his bravery

October 7 attack to Gaza ceasefire: Three years of Israel-Hamas conflict

From the October 7 attack and 251 hostages to the war in Gaza, regional escalation, ceasefires and plans for Gaza's future, here is a timeline of the key developments over three years

Israelis mourn Oct 7 attack as Palestinians grapple with war it sparked

Israelis are gathering Wednesday to commemorate the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,200 people, saw 251 taken hostage, and sparked a devastating war in Gaza that Palestinians still grapple with. In southern Israel, families will mourn at intersections, bomb shelters, and the site of a music festival that Hamas-led militants overran three years ago in the deadliest attack against Israel. This will be the first anniversary that all the hostages are home, marking a new stage of grief. For Palestinians, the anniversary brings another day living with the results of Israel's retaliatory campaign in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands of people. Most of the population of about 2 million people live in vast, squalid tent camps, with large parts of the strip's cities reduced to rubble. More than half the territory remains in the hands of the Israeli military, and despite a ceasefire deal reached nearly a year ago, Israeli strikes continue almost daily. For the region, the day highligh

Flydubai co-pilot planned crash before airline job, say Israeli officials

A third source briefed on the UAE probe said the co-pilot, an Omani national, had planned to crash last Wednesday's flight into Ben-Gurion airport near ‌Tel Aviv

FlyDubai co-pilot failed to complete university studies in Australia

Hamam al-Hammami, the 29-year-old Omani co-pilot who allegedly attacked his captain mid-flight, had been enrolled at RMIT University in Melbourne but failed to finish an engineering qualification

Who are mystery men who stepped in to keep FlyDubai plane from crashing?

Who are the mystery pilots who stepped in to stabilize the FlyDubai flight as it hurtled toward disaster? As of Saturday, three days after the uniformed crew members rushed to the cockpit to steady the Israel-bound plane carrying 182 people after a sickening plummet, they still haven't been publicly identified. FlyDubai has called them only on-duty crew members traveling on the plane. It's not clear why the airline hasn't said more. One passenger at the front of the plane, though, described the men's actions in an interview with The Associated Press, giving one of the most detailed accounts of the yet-unsung heroes. "This is one of the miracles," said Daniel Schlichter, who was seated in the second row. "That not in every flight they bring two extra pilots. In this case, they brought them because they should have brought the plane back from Tel Aviv to Dubai, and this is the only reason they were there." The practice is called deadheading. The two men responded after screaming ...

Smit Machchhar 'recovering well' after flydubai flight attack: UAE Embassy

Indian pilot Smit Machchhar is "recovering well" and remains under "excellent medical care" after being seriously injured in an attack by his co-pilot during a flight to Israel, the Indian Embassy in the UAE said on Saturday. Machchhar was stabbed and seriously injured in the cockpit of flydubai flight FZ1073 on Wednesday while it was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv. "Indian braveheart Capt. Smit remains under excellent medical care & is recovering well. We are in touch with his family & local authorities, extending support for a speedy recovery," the embassy said in a post on X. The embassy also thanked the UAE government for providing medical care to Machchhar and said it joined well-wishers in praying for his recovery. The UAE, which is leading the investigation, said the co-pilot attempted to carry out a "terrorist act". UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said the co-pilot used a crash axe to attack Machchhar and attempted to take control of the aircraft, ...

FlyDubai incident: Co-pilot was barred by Oman over alleged extremist views

The FlyDubai co-pilot who officials said nearly crashed a Tel Aviv-bound flight with 182 people aboard was barred from flying by his native Oman over concerns he had adopted extremist views, a person familiar with the matter said Saturday. The co-pilot was subsequently hired by the United Arab Emirates-based airline, the person said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation. It was not immediately clear to what extent he was vetted when he was hired in the Emirates. Oman's move to bar the co-pilot from flying was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. The attack left the region's travel industry in crisis, raising questions about aviation security and further unsettling a Middle East already shaken by the U.S.-Iran war. A regional investigation is underway. The United Arab Emirates has canceled all flights to Israel, complicating travel for hundreds of passengers who fly between the countries on a typical day. Israel and the UAE agreed on ...

I was determined not to let others die, Captain Smit tells PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday spoke to Captain Smit Machchaar, who foiled an attempt by his co-pilot to allegedly crash an Israel-bound flydubai flight, and applauded his bravery. During the telephonic conversation, Machchaar gave details of his experience and what gave him courage during the incident, government sources said. Modi applauded the pilot's bravery and wished him a quick recovery, the sources said. The prime minister on Thursday had said in the face of the gravest danger and despite being seriously injured, Machchhar showed immense courage and unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others. Modi said Machchhar is a "HERO" and his valour helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy. Addressing the centenary celebrations of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), the prime minister had also said that the pilot of the flydubai flight showed great patience, acumen and bravery. "And like Israeli PM (Benjamin Netanyahu) today said that this India

FlyDubai pilot Smit Machchhar's path from nervous pilot to cockpit 'hero'

Smit Machchhar, who was stabbed by his copilot, opened the cockpit door after fighting back, allowing passengers to subdue the attacker and avert a crash

Iran will be hit 'very hard' if behind Israel flight crash attempt: Trump

President Donald Trump said Iran may be linked to the FlyDubai copilot who tried to crash an Israel-bound plane. The president was asked Thursday by reporters at the White House whether he had been briefed about any links between the pilot behind the attack and Tehran. He said, "We're working on it right now." "I would say the answer, based on what I'm hearing, is yes, but we're working on it right now," Trump said. He did not offer details. Asked if the US would retaliate against Tehran if it was behind the attack, Trump said, "Oh they'll be hit, very hard, don't worry." "You just ask them," he added. "They know what happened. They'll be hit very hard.

Who is Smit Machchhar, Indian pilot hailed as hero after flydubai attack?

Smit Machchhar was the captain of flydubai Flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday when a violent confrontation broke out inside the cockpit

Flydubai cockpit attack: Here's what happened aboard Dubai-Tel Aviv flight

Flydubai flight FZ1073 was diverted to Saudi Arabia after a co-pilot stabbed the captain and tried to take control; passengers and crew helped restrain him and land the plane safely

'Terrorist or whack job': Trump on Flydubai co-pilot, hails Indian pilot

Trump said he spoke with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu about the incident and praised Captain Smit Machchhar and a passenger who helped subdue the co-pilot

flydubai co-pilot stabs captain onboard: Here's what we know so far

A fight broke out between the pilots onboard a flydubai flight, which prompted the aircraft to divert to Saudi Arabia. Here's what we know about the incident so far

Dubai-Tel Aviv flight lands in Saudi after emergency; hijacking ruled out

A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv landed in Saudi Arabia after an emergency was declared mid-air; Israeli officials later said the incident was not believed to be a hijacking

Israel PM Netanyahu meets Emirati leader in a weekend trip to Abu Dhabi

The meeting between Netanyahu and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan took place on Sunday, two people who were briefed on the Israeli leader's trip confirmed on Monday.

Netanyahu calls Gaza genocide claims 'biggest lie', UN delegates walk out

Allegations of Israeli genocide in Gaza are not only false but "the biggest lie of the century," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told world leaders Thursday in a defiant speech that asserted his nation's right to wage war against Iran - and was not heard by scores of delegates who trooped out before he started speaking. Netanyahu, his voice rising in emphasis, said attacking Iran "was one of the easiest decisions I've ever had to make" and denounced as "moral cowards" a mass of delegates who walked out of the UN General Assembly when he took the podium to speak. "In defending itself, Israel is also also defending many of the countries whose delegates just left this hall," Netanyahu said. "In fact, I want you to know that many of their leaders even thank us privately for taking out Iran's nukes." When Netanyahu walked to the rostrum, a mix of cheers, boos and mass walkouts erupted. Scores of delegates marched out and a majority of visible seats sat empty afterward. "Order in the ..

Trump admin to send powerful bombs to Israel in $2.8 billion weapons sale

The Trump administration is planning to deliver powerful 2,000-pound bombs to Israel as part of an upcoming arms deal, weapons that prompted such concerns about the possibility of mass casualties in Gaza that the Biden administration paused their delivery two years ago. The USD 2.8 billion package includes 40,000 of the bombs, made up of 20,000 Mk84s and 20,000 BLU-117s, according to two US officials and a person familiar with the plan who spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity to discuss the package, which is not yet final. Congress has been informally notified about the pending deal, most of which is to be paid for with foreign military financing - in which US taxpayer dollars are given to Israel to turn around and buy the weapons from the United States. The proposed sale is just the latest in a series of Trump administration steps to improve Israeli's military capacity. The conflict in Gaza has left tens of thousands of Palestinians dead and has decimated the enclave. The US ...