A flydubai aircraft travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after a violent cockpit incident injured both pilots, sent the plane into a rapid descent and raised fears of an attempted attack on its Israeli passengers.

Flight FZ1073 landed safely at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk. The airline said every passenger was safe and accounted for, while Saudi airport authorities confirmed that the captain and first officer had been taken to hospital.

The airline has described what happened only as an “incident” and has not publicly identified either pilot or explained how they were injured. Saudi authorities have opened an investigation.

Three Israeli officials said the co-pilot was believed to have stabbed the captain while the aircraft was travelling towards Israel. One official identified the suspected attacker as an Omani citizen. Cabin crew reportedly entered the cockpit, brought the aircraft under control and helped divert it to Saudi Arabia.

Those details remain preliminary. Neither Saudi Arabia nor the United Arab Emirates had publicly confirmed the alleged stabbing or announced a motive at the time of publication.

Flight-tracking information showed the Boeing 737 Max 8 descending by more than 14,000 feet in a matter of seconds before stabilising. The aircraft initially transmitted the international emergency code 7700 and subsequently switched to 7500, a code used to indicate unlawful interference, including a possible hijacking.

Passengers described hearing screams and seeing blood during the emergency. Videos purportedly recorded inside the aircraft showed frightened travellers speaking about a violent confrontation in the cockpit. Some passengers claimed that people aboard the flight helped restrain the suspected attacker, although that account has not been independently confirmed by the airline or investigating authorities.

The emergency signal prompted an immediate security response in Israel. Fighter aircraft were reportedly scrambled as authorities attempted to determine whether the plane had been hijacked or was being directed towards Israeli territory. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held consultations with security officials, while airports were placed on heightened alert.

The Israeli prime minister’s office later said the incident was not considered a conventional hijacking and that the situation was under control. Israeli officials nevertheless said they were investigating the possibility that the violence represented a deliberate attempt to attack Israelis rather than a personal dispute or mental-health crisis.

More than 150 people were reportedly aboard the flight. Arrangements were being made to return the passengers to Israel using another aircraft.

Their unexpected arrival in Saudi Arabia created an additional diplomatic complication. Saudi Arabia and Israel do not have formal diplomatic relations, although Israeli commercial aircraft have been permitted to use Saudi airspace since 2022. Saudi authorities provided medical assistance and began coordinating with the airline over the passengers’ onward journey.

The incident occurred on a route made possible by the 2020 normalisation agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Flydubai has continued operating services to Israel despite repeated regional conflicts and heightened security concerns.

The safe landing prevented the incident from becoming a major aviation disaster. However, fundamental questions remain unanswered, including what triggered the cockpit violence, who was controlling the aircraft during its rapid descent and whether the passengers were deliberately targeted.

Until the Saudi investigation establishes a motive, the event can be described as a suspected attack involving possible unlawful interference. Claims that a terrorist operation was conclusively foiled go beyond what authorities have so far confirmed.