Saudi Arabia on Wednesday turned down an Israeli request to allow military aircraft to enter the kingdom and retrieve Israeli passengers stranded after a diverted commercial flight, Reuters reported.
The request was made after flydubai Flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, made an emergency landing at Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia following a serious incident in the cockpit.
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According to the report, the Israeli Air Force was preparing to send C-130 Super Hercules transport aircraft to pick up the passengers. Saudi Arabia, which does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, rejected the request.
The passengers later continued their journey to Israel on a flydubai replacement aircraft, according to the airline. Reuters reported that they remained on the ground in Saudi Arabia for around eight hours before departing.
The emergency landing followed a violent altercation between the pilots. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the co-pilot stabbed the pilot and attempted to crash the aircraft before passengers subdued him. A second set of pilots on board subsequently landed the plane safely in Saudi Arabia.
The flight had more than 170 Israelis on board. The co-pilot, whom an Israeli official identified as an Omani national, was arrested after the aircraft landed, according to Netanyahu. The motive behind the incident remained unclear, while flydubai cautioned against premature speculation.
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The incident comes as US President Donald Trump continues to push for Saudi Arabia to join the US-brokered Abraham Accords, under which several Arab countries have established diplomatic relations with Israel. Saudi Arabia has said it would not join the accords without a pathway towards Palestinian statehood, according to Reuters.
On Wednesday, a senior Saudi official also denied reports of a meeting between Saudi and Israeli officials after Israeli media reported that Netanyahu had met Middle Eastern officials, including a Saudi representative, during his recent visit to the United Arab Emirates.
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