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On this Motzoei Yom Tov, as we bid farewell to the beautiful chag that ended tonight (in chutz la’aretz, and the night before that for those in Eretz Hakodesh), we’d like to wish all of our readers ah gutten vinter.

As you take down your sukkahs and resume your regular routine, try to hold on to the warmth and inspiration of the Zeman Simchaseinu and Simchas Torah as you head into the long days of winter. The winter is representative of the lengthy golus in which we find ourselves, and just as we try to hold on to the warmth of summer as we endure the dark days of winter, we likewise try to hold on to the uplifting moments of our lives to help us get through this long and bitter exile.

We pray that all of Klal Yisroel merit only bracha and yeshuos during this season, and may we be zoche to greet Moshiach, bimeheirah beyomeinu, speedily, in our day.

Ah gutten vinter.

{Matzav.com Newscenter}

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has revealed that he seriously considered retiring at the conclusion of the Court’s last term before ultimately deciding to remain on the bench, saying at age 76 he believes he can still make a meaningful contribution to the Supreme Court and the country.

Alito, one of the Court’s most influential conservative justices, said in a rare interview with CBS News chief legal correspondent Jan Crawford that retirement is now something he expects to reconsider at the end of every Supreme Court term.

His comments address months of speculation over whether he might step aside while President Trump is in the White House and Republicans control the Senate, giving Trump an opportunity to nominate a substantially younger conservative to Alito’s seat.

“I thought about it,” Alito told Crawford when asked whether he had considered retiring.

“Well, it’s something I think that somebody at my age has to think about every term,” he explained. “But I thought that I could still make a valuable contribution, which is why I became a justice and a judge in the first place. So that was basically it.”

Asked whether that means he intends to reconsider retirement each year, Alito answered, “Yeah, I think I have to.”

Alito’s decision means that, at least for the new Supreme Court term, the nine-member Court will retain its current composition and its 6-3 conservative majority.

The retirement question carries enormous political consequences because Supreme Court justices serve lifetime appointments. If Alito were to retire while Trump remains president and Republicans retain sufficient control of the Senate to confirm a nominee, Trump would have an opportunity to select Alito’s successor.

Trump has already appointed three members of the current Court — Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. An Alito vacancy would therefore give him an opportunity to appoint a fourth justice.

Trump said earlier this year that he was prepared for the possibility of Supreme Court vacancies and specifically praised Alito as “one of the greatest of all time,” while expressing interest in finding a younger jurist with a similar judicial philosophy.

Alito, however, said the political identity of a possible successor was not what ultimately governed his decision to remain.

“I think it’s too hard to predict,” he said. “It’s too hard to predict how for anybody, and particularly when you reach a certain age, what your situation will be a year from now, two years from now and so forth.”

“And it’s too hard to predict what the political situation will be and what any president might do with respect to a replacement,” he added.

The issue has drawn comparisons to the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who resisted calls from some liberals to retire while President Barack Obama was in office. Ginsburg remained on the Court until her death in September 2020 at age 87, allowing Trump to nominate Barrett to replace her shortly before that year’s presidential election.

Asked whether remaining on the bench could create a similar risk from the perspective of those who want Alito’s judicial philosophy preserved on the Court, Alito rejected the idea that anyone could reliably plan years ahead for the political and personal circumstances surrounding a future vacancy.

Alito said his primary consideration was instead whether he still had something worthwhile to contribute to the institution he joined two decades ago.

“I think I can still make a contribution,” he said. “And it’s hard to give up the opportunity to do something that I think will be good for the Constitution and good for the country as long as I’m able to do it.”

Alito was nominated to the Supreme Court by President George W. Bush in 2005 and confirmed by the Senate in January 2006, succeeding Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. Before joining the nation’s highest court, he served for approximately 15 years on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Now 76, Alito is the Court’s second-oldest justice. Justice Clarence Thomas, 78, is the oldest and longest-serving current member of the Court, having joined it in 1991.

Together, Thomas and Alito have become central figures in the Court’s conservative majority, though their approaches and areas of emphasis sometimes differ. Alito has been particularly influential in cases involving religious liberty, abortion, voting law and constitutional interpretation.

His most consequential majority opinion came in 2022 in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade and ended the recognition of a federal constitutional right to abortion, returning authority over abortion law primarily to elected lawmakers at the state and federal levels.

In his new CBS interview, Alito also reflected more broadly on what he believes the Court has accomplished during his tenure.

“We have stood up for freedom of speech, which is endangered. We have done a lot to protect religious liberty,” Alito said.

“We have vindicated the principle that the laws should be applied equally to everybody, regardless of race or ethnic background,” he continued. “We have tried to restore the original structure of the government as it was set out in the Constitution — but that’s an ongoing project.”

Alito’s description reflects his own view of the Court’s work. Critics of the conservative majority strongly dispute that assessment and argue that a series of its decisions have weakened protections involving abortion, voting rights and other areas. Alito has consistently defended his approach as an effort to apply the Constitution according to its original meaning rather than reach preferred political outcomes.

“I have a theory about how the Constitution should be interpreted. I believe it has a fixed meaning. And it still means today what it was understood to mean when it was adopted. And I will not depart from that,” Alito said. “But it is not necessary in every case to go as far as one might want to go if you were just writing the opinion for yourself.”

Alito’s retirement deliberations come four years after Justice Stephen Breyer became the most recent member of the Supreme Court to leave the bench. Breyer retired on June 30, 2022, after nearly 28 years as a justice.

Breyer had faced sustained calls from liberal activists and Democratic lawmakers to retire while President Joe Biden was in office and Democrats controlled the Senate, allowing them to ensure that his seat would be filled by a liberal successor.

Biden nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson, who had previously clerked for Breyer, to fill the vacancy. The Senate confirmed her, and Breyer himself administered her judicial oath on the day his retirement took effect.

Despite sitting on opposite sides of many of the Court’s most significant cases, Alito revealed in the CBS interview that he and Breyer developed a close friendship during their years together on the bench.

“He is a brilliant man and very erudite. But he wears his erudition lightly, and doesn’t take himself too seriously. I do miss him. He lit up lunch time, every time we had lunch,” Alito said. “And he would pop in here to talk about all kinds of things. He would pop in here to talk about cases. But he would also come in to talk about whatever he happened to be interested in at the time, literature or music or things that were going on in the world. And it was delightful.”

Breyer, in turn, described Alito as “a good friend” and said that despite their frequent disagreements over cases, he was “always interested in what he thinks.”

“Our relationship is a good example of a simple fact that I have noticed here at the Court over the years,” Breyer said. “We can be personal friends without always agreeing about legal results.”

Alito said Breyer’s willingness to maintain those relationships across ideological lines provided an example that other justices could follow.

“Steve reached out to everybody. He was very outgoing and charming and gregarious,” Alito said. “His personality is a lot different from mine. But I should probably do more along the lines of what he did. And probably we all can take more of a lesson from him.”

The latest retirement discussion follows an unusual episode at the end of the Court’s previous term, when NPR mistakenly reported on June 30 that Alito had announced his retirement.

The report briefly appeared publicly before NPR withdrew it and acknowledged that no such announcement had been made. Veteran NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg subsequently called the erroneous report “the worst professional mistake of my more than 50 years in journalism” and sent Alito a personal apology.

Alito then addressed the continuing speculation more directly in an August interview with The Wall Street Journal.

“Obviously I’m here for another term,” he said at the time.

The new CBS interview provides the fuller explanation: Alito had, in fact, considered leaving. He simply decided that this was not yet the time.

The justice is also stepping further into public view with the release of his first book, “So Ordered: An Originalist’s View of the Constitution, the Court and Our Country,” a collection of speeches and reflections outlining his approach to constitutional interpretation and his concerns about the country’s legal and civic institutions.

In discussing his background, Alito described the influence of his Italian immigrant family and the values with which he was raised. His father’s birth record from Italy, presented to him by the Italian Embassy after his Supreme Court confirmation, remains one of his most treasured possessions.

“It’s very moving for me,” Alito said. “Neither of these two people who walked to town could read or write … so the official had to do it. So it’s (a) meaningful document for me.”

Alito said his parents and grandparents deeply believed in the possibilities offered by the United States.

“They really did believe in the American dream, and they believed in the fundamental values that underlie our country … the view that’s expressed in the Declaration of Independence that all people are created equal and that they’re endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights,” Alito said. “That’s how I was raised.

“But it’s not just how I was raised,” he continued. “It’s what I believe, and what I believed after a lifetime of education and experience. I still believe in all of that.”

Looking at the arc from his immigrant family’s beginnings to his own seat on the nation’s highest court, Alito described it simply.

“It is the American dream,” Alito said. “And it’s been a dream that’s been realized by generation after generation.”

{Matzav.com}

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir declared Sunday that Israel’s military doctrine is being reshaped around the possibility of another surprise war, warning that the IDF will no longer wait for an enemy threat to materialize before acting and will instead launch preemptive strikes against dangerous capabilities as they emerge.

Zamir delivered the warning at a major gathering of the IDF’s senior command at the Glilot base, where the military formally concluded its investigations into the failures surrounding the October 7 massacre and presented a series of changes intended to prevent such a catastrophe from happening again.

“We are building the IDF’s strategy with readiness for a surprise war, including the preemptive thwarting of severe threats as they develop, as our reference scenario – this is our operational compass,” Zamir declared.

“We removed threats; we are operating in all arenas, defending forward, and continuing to pursue our enemies everywhere. Our message is clear: Whoever threatens to harm us and builds the capabilities to do so – we will act in advance and strike them with a decisive blow.”

The new approach represents one of the central lessons the IDF says it has drawn from October 7. Rather than relying heavily on assessments of an enemy’s intentions, the military plans to increasingly base its readiness on what an adversary is actually capable of doing — including preparing for a multi-front surprise attack even if Israel’s deterrence and early-warning systems both fail.

Among the changes being implemented are significantly larger forces on standby and in reserve, stronger defenses around border communities, increased firepower and intelligence capabilities along Israel’s borders, greater independence for commanders in the field and changes in the way the Military Intelligence Directorate analyzes and issues warnings.

The IDF has already more than doubled the number of forces assigned to readiness and reserve duties across the various sectors. Forces and equipment are also being redistributed so that the military can respond more rapidly if a major attack develops unexpectedly in any theater.

The military plans to continually reassess potential threat scenarios rather than allow longstanding assumptions to become entrenched. Operational scenarios, defense plans, readiness levels and reserve deployments are to be updated as enemy capabilities change, with formal reviews every six months.

The IDF will also conduct additional surprise exercises and simulations of extreme scenarios designed to test how quickly forces can transition from routine operations to full-scale war, particularly when commanders have incomplete intelligence and are operating under conditions of severe uncertainty.

The conference brought together officers holding the rank of brigadier general and above from the IDF’s commands, branches and directorates. It opened with a moment of silence for those murdered and killed on October 7, after which senior officers reviewed the findings of the investigations, the corrective measures already underway and the mechanisms being established to ensure that the lessons are actually implemented.

“I chose to convene the IDF senior commanders forum today, on the eve of the national memorial day for the events of October 7th, as a message,” Zamir said.

“We are examining the status of implementing the lessons from the October 7th investigations, with recognition of the magnitude of the failure alongside the understanding that we must not sink into them, but rather learn, draw lessons, improve, and move forward. The events of October 7th continue to accompany us, and our duty is to ensure that they do not happen again.”

The completion of the October 7 investigations does not mark the end of the IDF’s internal examination of the war. Zamir announced that 2027 will be devoted to investigating the broader conflict and drawing lessons from the IDF’s operations in the different theaters over the past several years.

The next stage will include investigations into individual campaigns and fronts, including Operation Roaring Lion, followed by a broader military assessment intended to consolidate the lessons of the entire war.

Those lessons are being organized into four principal areas: strategic preparedness, operational readiness, force buildup and intelligence. Among the central goals is ensuring that the military can withstand and respond to a simultaneous surprise attack on several fronts without depending upon advance warning.

Zamir said one of the most important conclusions is that Israel must compensate militarily for its lack of geographic depth by maintaining a larger and more capable IDF.

“One of our greatest lessons is the need to expand our margin of security. The State of Israel is a geographically small country without territorial depth, and it faces multi-front threats,” he said.

“We must build the IDF’s force structure in light of all challenges and threats. The size of the IDF is our strategic depth. Therefore, we must expand the IDF and adapt it to its growing missions.”

A particularly significant moment at the conference came when Zamir presented a certificate of appreciation to Chief Warrant Officer V. of the IDF’s Unit 8200, whose warnings about Hamas preparations for a massive surprise attack before October 7 were dismissed by senior intelligence officials.

Before the massacre, V. had warned that Hamas possessed a concrete plan for a large-scale invasion. In an email sent to IDF officers in the days before the attack, she warned that “the sword is coming” and urged that the public be alerted while there was still time.

Her warning followed a Unit 8200 intelligence document produced on September 19, 2023, less than three weeks before the massacre, which reported that Hamas was training for a large-scale invasion of Israel. Her assessment was rejected by senior intelligence officers in the Gaza Division.

Zamir used the episode to stress that the IDF must fundamentally change a culture in which assumptions can become accepted doctrine and contrary assessments can be pushed aside.

“In our organizational culture, we must not allow people-pleasing discourse, intellectual tyranny, or the suppression of critical thinking,” he stated.

The military’s intelligence reforms will place renewed emphasis on the Intelligence Directorate’s fundamental responsibility to establish an accurate picture of reality and provide warnings. Commanders are also being instructed to distinguish more carefully between long-term strategic assessments and immediate tactical intelligence, while dissenting opinions and challenges to accepted assumptions are to receive greater consideration.

The changes are intended to address one of the most painful findings arising from October 7: critical pieces of information existed before the Hamas assault, but were interpreted through assumptions that ultimately proved catastrophically wrong.

Zamir acknowledged the magnitude of the IDF’s failure on the morning of the massacre while contrasting it with the military’s subsequent performance across the different fronts of the war.

“On October 7th, the IDF failed severely, but the IDF got back on its feet and proved itself to have a determined spirit, bringing about a historic and unprecedented multi-front victory,” he said.

Even as the military formally closes the chapter on its October 7 investigations, Zamir stressed that the current security environment leaves no room for complacency and that commanders throughout the IDF must remain prepared for another unexpected escalation.

“The entire IDF is in constant readiness. We are all on guard. It is our duty to prevent surprise and to prepare for surprise,” he said.

“We are in a period of tension and alertness, and each person in their own sector must be alert and prepared.”

{Matzav.com}

The United Arab Emirates is expected to seek the death penalty for Hamam al-Hammami, the 29-year-old Flydubai co-pilot accused of attempting to seize control of a Tel Aviv-bound passenger jet, as Mossad personnel and Israeli aviation experts join an international investigation into evidence that he planned a September 11-style attack against Israel.

A senior Emirati official said authorities intend to pursue the harshest punishment available once their investigation is complete, despite the fact that Captain Smit Machchhar, passengers and crew members succeeded in thwarting the alleged plot without any fatalities.

“There will be no leniency here,” the senior Emirati official said, adding that al-Hammami would not receive a pardon.

The investigation is being overseen by UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi and has brought together intelligence and security officials from several countries. Mossad representatives and Israeli aviation specialists are participating alongside senior Saudi and Omani intelligence officials and at least two representatives of U.S. intelligence agencies.

According to the senior Emirati official, Israeli representatives are also expected to participate directly in al-Hammami’s interrogation as investigators attempt to determine how long he had been planning the attack, whether anyone assisted him and what target he ultimately intended to strike.

One of the most alarming possibilities under investigation is that al-Hammami intended to turn the Boeing 737 MAX into a weapon and deliberately crash it into a high-rise building in Israel, in an attack modeled after the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States.

The Azrieli Towers in Tel Aviv were reportedly among the targets he considered. Separate information emerging from his interrogation indicates that Ben Gurion Airport itself may have been his primary objective, with investigators examining whether the plan evolved or included several possible targets.

Al-Hammami has reportedly told interrogators that he deliberately sought employment with an airline that flew to Israel because he had already conceived the attack before being hired by Flydubai.

“I searched and checked which airlines fly to Tel Aviv and therefore I chose Flydubai. I tried to be hired by all the companies. I planned the attack before I was hired,” he reportedly told investigators.

Investigators are examining whether al-Hammami intended to incapacitate or kill Machchhar without alerting anyone outside the cockpit, maintain the aircraft’s normal course toward Israel and then divert the plane into his chosen target only when it was too late for Israeli authorities to intercept it.

During the eight months al-Hammami worked for Flydubai, he reportedly flew to Israel dozens of times, including just days before the September 30 attack. Those previous flights are now being examined to determine whether he used them to study Israeli airspace, Ben Gurion Airport and possible targets.

The investigation has also raised serious questions about how al-Hammami was hired in the first place. According to the Emirati source, “incriminating materials” had been discovered in his possession while he was training in Oman, leading authorities there to remove him from flying duties and bar him from the cockpit.

Reports indicate that al-Hammami had been undergoing pilot training with Oman Air when concerns arose over extremist material and his ideological views. He was reassigned to an administrative position before ultimately leaving the airline.

After his time in Oman, al-Hammami reportedly moved to Morocco and also traveled to Syria before eventually securing employment with Flydubai. He is also reported to have trained with Royal Air Maroc, although the Moroccan carrier ultimately did not employ him as a pilot.

His international background is receiving growing scrutiny. Australian counterterrorism authorities are investigating al-Hammami’s years in Australia, where he studied approximately a decade ago. Reports have alleged that during that period he visited radical mosques and accessed extremist material online.

Despite those apparent warning signs, al-Hammami eventually entered a Flydubai cockpit and was repeatedly assigned to flights serving Israel, even though he is an Omani national and Oman does not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel.

The September 30 attack unfolded aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073 as it traveled from Dubai toward Tel Aviv carrying more than 170 passengers and crew members. Al-Hammami allegedly attacked Machchhar with an emergency crash axe stored inside the cockpit and attempted to take control of the aircraft.

During the struggle, the aircraft plunged more than 16,000 feet in barely half a minute. Machchhar, despite suffering serious injuries, managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew members to enter and overpower al-Hammami.

Reserve pilots traveling aboard the aircraft subsequently helped regain control and diverted the plane to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely. Al-Hammami was taken into custody and was later transferred to the UAE for interrogation.

Emirati prosecutors have formally characterized the incident as an attempted terrorist attack, while investigators continue examining digital evidence, al-Hammami’s communications, his previous travels and employment, and any possible relationships with extremist organizations or foreign actors.

The investigation is also examining evidence that al-Hammami may have planned an attack well before September 30. Israeli reports indicate that he researched airlines serving Tel Aviv before applying for employment and deliberately pursued Flydubai because its route network gave him access to Israel.

Authorities are additionally examining reports that he had contemplated carrying out an attack on an earlier flight but did not proceed. That possibility, combined with his repeated trips to Israel, has raised the prospect that the September 30 incident was the culmination of months of preparation rather than a sudden decision made aboard the aircraft.

At the same time, Israeli investigators have initially assessed that al-Hammami most likely acted as a lone wolf. That assessment remains preliminary, and the international team is continuing to investigate whether he had contacts with terrorist organizations, Iran or other outside parties.

The case has also triggered a major security controversy in Israel, where officials are investigating how an Omani national with reported radicalization concerns was permitted to repeatedly serve aboard flights to Ben Gurion Airport. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a comprehensive review of the system used to screen foreign airlines and their crews.

For Emirati authorities, however, the criminal case against al-Hammami is moving forward separately from the broader investigation into the security failures surrounding him. According to the senior official, the fact that the alleged attack was thwarted before anyone aboard the aircraft was killed will not lead the UAE to seek a lesser punishment.

“There will be no leniency here,” he said, making clear that Emirati authorities intend to pursue the maximum penalty once the investigation is concluded.

{Matzav.com}

The Flydubai co-pilot accused of trying to seize control of Flight FZ1073 had allegedly been planning a mass-casualty terrorist attack against Israel even before he joined the airline, with investigators now saying his intended targets included Ben Gurion Airport and possibly the Azrieli Towers in Tel Aviv.

New details emerging from the interrogation of 29-year-old Omani national Hamam al-Hammami indicate that his alleged objective was far more elaborate than simply bringing down the aircraft. Israeli officials say he intended to kill or incapacitate Captain Smit Machchhar, continue flying toward Israel as though nothing had happened, receive normal clearance to approach Ben Gurion Airport and then, at the last possible moment, deliberately crash the jet into the airport terminal or another target.

Investigators believe that explains why al-Hammami waited until the aircraft was over Jordan before launching his attack. By remaining on the normal flight path toward Israel, he apparently hoped to avoid setting off alarms that could have resulted in Israeli fighter jets intercepting the aircraft before it reached its target.

Under the alleged plan, the plane would have continued its descent toward Ben Gurion as though it were making an ordinary landing. Only during the final moments of the approach, when authorities would have had virtually no time to react, would al-Hammami have diverted the aircraft toward the terminal or another structure at the airport.

Additional reports indicate that al-Hammami had deliberately sought employment with an airline serving Israel and had begun planning the attack before Flydubai hired him.

“I searched and checked which airlines fly to Tel Aviv and therefore I chose Flydubai. I tried to be hired by all the companies. I planned the attack before I was hired,” he reportedly told his interrogators.

Other accounts of the interrogation quoted al-Hammami as telling investigators, “The dream was to crash into Ben-Gurion Airport.”

Investigators are also examining evidence that al-Hammami had previously used his employment with Flydubai to gather information about Ben Gurion Airport. He reportedly flew into Israel on earlier occasions, including a visit in June during which authorities now suspect he may have conducted surveillance and studied the airport as part of his preparations.

According to Israeli media reports, al-Hammami may even have come close to carrying out his plan months before the September 30 attack. He allegedly operated another flight to Israel in July with the intention of crashing it, but abandoned the plan because of a personal attachment he had developed to one of the crew members.

A separate line of the investigation suggests that Ben Gurion Airport was not the only potential target. A senior Emirati official reportedly said investigators are examining evidence that al-Hammami also considered carrying out a September 11-style attack against the Azrieli Towers in Tel Aviv.

Under that scenario, he allegedly intended to take complete control of the Boeing 737 MAX and fly it into one of the high-rise towers in the heart of Tel Aviv, close to the Kirya military headquarters. Investigators are examining whether the Azrieli Towers were an alternative target or part of an evolving attack plan.

The emerging evidence has added another dimension to earlier reports that Israeli investigators currently believe al-Hammami most likely acted as a lone wolf. While authorities continue examining whether he had assistance or connections to an outside terrorist organization or foreign government, the latest information suggests that the attack itself may have been planned over a lengthy period rather than being a spontaneous act aboard the aircraft.

The plot was ultimately thwarted because Machchhar, despite being seriously wounded, managed to unlock the cockpit door. Passengers and crew members were then able to enter the cockpit and overpower al-Hammami before he could regain control.

Emirati investigators have determined that al-Hammami attacked Machchhar with the emergency crash axe kept inside the cockpit. The aircraft plunged more than 16,000 feet during the struggle before reserve pilots traveling aboard the flight were able to stabilize it and divert to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

The investigation into the alleged plot has become an international effort. Mossad personnel and Israeli aviation experts are reportedly participating in the investigation in Abu Dhabi alongside Emirati authorities, with Saudi and Omani intelligence officials and at least two representatives of U.S. intelligence agencies also involved.

Investigators are now attempting to reconstruct al-Hammami’s movements, communications and preparations before the attack, including his previous employment and the circumstances under which he was allowed to become a Flydubai pilot despite earlier concerns about his extremist views.

Al-Hammami previously entered pilot training with Oman Air but was removed from flying duties after authorities reportedly discovered evidence of extremist activity and radical material. He was transferred to an administrative position and later left the airline.

After his time with Oman Air, al-Hammami reportedly spent time in Morocco and Syria before eventually moving to Dubai and joining Flydubai. Other reports indicate that he had previously trained with Royal Air Maroc but was not ultimately hired as a pilot by the Moroccan carrier.

His background has also drawn the attention of Australian counterterrorism authorities because al-Hammami studied in Melbourne approximately a decade ago. Investigators there are examining reports that he visited radical mosques and accessed extremist material online during his years in Australia.

The alleged terrorist’s history has become a central issue in the investigation because multiple warning signs appear to have existed before he ever entered a Flydubai cockpit. Oman Air had reportedly removed him from flying because of radicalization concerns, yet he was subsequently able to secure a flying position with Flydubai without the airline obtaining his full background from Omani authorities.

Questions have also intensified over how al-Hammami, an Omani national, was permitted to repeatedly serve aboard flights to Israel when Oman does not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel. The controversy has already prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to order a comprehensive investigation into Israel’s procedures for screening foreign airlines and their crews.

The new interrogation details indicate that this apparent security failure may have been precisely what al-Hammami intended to exploit. Rather than finding himself assigned by chance to a Tel Aviv route, he allegedly sought out Flydubai because it could provide him with access to Israel and then used his position as a commercial pilot to prepare for an attack from inside the cockpit.

What began over Jordan on September 30, according to investigators, was therefore allegedly the final stage of a plan that had been developing long before Flight FZ1073 left Dubai — one intended to allow an apparently routine passenger jet to approach Ben Gurion Airport normally before being turned into a weapon in the final seconds of its flight.

{Matzav.com}

Israeli investigators currently believe that the Flydubai co-pilot who allegedly tried to crash Flight FZ1073 while it was en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv most likely acted alone, although the investigation remains ongoing and authorities have not ruled out the possibility that he had connections to a terrorist organization, foreign government or other outside actors.

The preliminary Israeli assessment represents an important development in the investigation, particularly after President Trump raised the possibility of Iranian involvement and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said authorities were examining whether the attacker had been sent by someone else. Investigators stressed that the lone-wolf assessment is preliminary and that all avenues remain under examination.

The attack occurred Wednesday aboard Flight FZ1073 as the Boeing 737 MAX traveled from Dubai toward Tel Aviv with 172 people aboard. According to Israeli and Emirati officials, the co-pilot attacked Captain Smit Machchhar inside the cockpit and attempted to send the aircraft crashing toward the ground.

Emirati authorities have since disclosed that the weapon was not a knife, as initially reported, but the emergency crash axe kept inside the cockpit. The UAE attorney general has formally described what occurred aboard the aircraft as an attempted terrorist act.

Despite being wounded in the attack, Machchhar managed to fight off the co-pilot long enough to unlock the cockpit door. Israeli passengers and Flydubai crew members then rushed in and subdued the attacker, while two off-duty pilots traveling aboard the flight helped regain control of the aircraft and divert it to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, for an emergency landing.

Machchhar has since described the moment the attack began, saying that the co-pilot had been praying shortly beforehand. “While he was praying, out of respect, I was just looking at the front and not at the back. And suddenly there was a big blow to the back of my head. My first thought was that there was a catastrophic damage to the aircraft. After that, the blows kept coming, one after another. And that’s when I realized that it’s not the aircraft, it’s the other guy who was in the cockpit with me.”

The suspect was taken into custody after the emergency landing and initially questioned by Saudi authorities. He was subsequently transferred to the United Arab Emirates, where he is undergoing additional interrogation. Israeli representatives have traveled to the UAE to participate in the investigation.

President Trump on Thursday publicly raised the possibility that the attacker had ties to Iran, while making clear that the investigation had not been completed.

“We’re working on it right now,” Trump said. “They’re being very open with us. I would say the answer, based on what I’m hearing, is yes. But we’re working on it right now.”

Netanyahu, however, was more cautious when initially discussing the attack with CBS News, saying that investigators had not yet determined precisely what motivated the co-pilot.

“I don’t think it was a hijacking,” Netanyahu told CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil, adding, “I think it looks like a suicide attempt.”

Netanyahu subsequently said that information gathered during the investigation indicated that the attacker had undergone Islamist radicalization and was suicidal. According to Netanyahu and witnesses aboard the aircraft, after the co-pilot was restrained, he repeatedly demanded that those around him kill him.

Israeli dentist Dr. Shota Musaev, who treated Machchhar after the cockpit was opened, said the subdued co-pilot repeatedly asked to be killed. “After two minutes he – he said to me, kill me. Kill me. And said to Yanif (ph), kill – kill me, sometimes. That’s – that’s it.” Asked whether the attacker had said it repeatedly, Musaev replied, “Yes. Yes, yes.”

Although authorities have not formally released the co-pilot’s identity, multiple sources familiar with the investigation have identified him as Hamam al Hamami, an Omani national believed to be 29 years old.

Investigators have uncovered a series of apparent warning signs in al Hamami’s background. He previously entered pilot training with Oman Air, but Omani government surveillance reportedly found that he had been visiting extremist websites. Oman Air subsequently removed him from flying duties and transferred him to an office position.

One source familiar with his employment history said al Hamami later resigned from Oman Air after being placed on desk duty and left the airline around 2024. Reports that initially said he had been fired have subsequently been corrected to indicate that he resigned.

Sources also said that al Hamami at one point posted a video showing El Al aircraft at an airport in Dubai. The video reportedly concluded with an image of Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Al Qaeda leader who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2022.

After leaving Oman Air, al Hamami moved to Dubai and was hired by Flydubai. Sources familiar with the investigation said Flydubai did not contact the Omani government to vet his background before employing him.

Questions about his background have now spread well beyond Oman and the UAE. Australian counterterrorism authorities are investigating al Hamami’s connections to Australia, where he reportedly studied at RMIT University in Melbourne approximately a decade ago. Australian federal and state police, along with intelligence officials, are participating in that investigation.

Reports have alleged that while living in Australia, al Hamami visited radical mosques and accessed extremist material online. Investigators are examining whether his radicalization began years before he joined Flydubai and whether he developed any connections during his time abroad.

Sources describe al Hamami as an Omani citizen who was born outside Oman and spent much of his life in other countries. His father is reportedly Omani and his mother Syrian. The Omani government has not publicly confirmed his citizenship.

Investigators have also raised the possibility that al Hamami holds dual citizenship. That question has become particularly significant because Oman does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, raising questions about how an Omani citizen was cleared to serve as a crew member on repeated flights to Tel Aviv.

The incident has triggered a much broader investigation inside Israel into how foreign flight crews are vetted. Netanyahu on Sunday ordered a comprehensive review of security procedures governing foreign civilian flights arriving in Israel after revelations that Israeli authorities had received a list of the Flydubai flight’s crew members, reportedly including al Hamami’s name and nationality, before the aircraft departed Dubai.

The revelation has intensified questions over why al Hamami was not flagged despite his Omani nationality and his reported history of extremist activity. Israeli government agencies have traded claims over which body bore responsibility for examining foreign crews and whether the relevant intelligence was available to those responsible for aviation security.

For now, however, Israeli investigators reportedly believe the attack was most likely carried out by al Hamami on his own. That assessment has not closed the investigation into possible outside ties, and authorities in Israel, the UAE and other countries continue examining his communications, movements, employment history and years of alleged radical activity to determine whether anyone helped him prepare for the attempted attack.

{Matzav.com}

Former Knesset member Yehuda Glick has been barred by police from entering Har Habayis for six months after he recited a Mi Shebeirach there for Neria Leiter, the Israeli reservist who was critically wounded in the terrorist ramming attack at the Maccabim checkpoint on Route 443.

The order was signed by Yerushalayim District Police Commander Avshalom Peled and prohibits Glick from entering Har Habayis or its approaches from September 24, 2026, through March 24, 2027.

Police said the order was issued under Peled’s authority because it was necessary to “prevent severe harm to life or property.”

The incident that prompted the order occurred when Glick went onto Har Habayis and audibly recited a Mi Shebeirach for Neria Dov ben Chana, the son of Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter. Leiter was critically wounded when a terrorist drove a vehicle into personnel at the Maccabim checkpoint.

It should be noted that the Gedolei Yisroel and leading poskim throughout the generations have ruled that it is assur for Jews to ascend Har Habayis because of the severe halachic issues involved, including the possibility of entering areas forbidden due to tumah. Glick has for decades advocated Jewish ascension to and prayer on Har Habayis, a position rejected by the leading poskim of the chareidi world.

According to reports in the Israeli media, police determined that Glick had violated the regulations governing conduct at the site by reciting the prayer aloud. He was subsequently summoned for a hearing, after which Peled signed the six-month exclusion order.

Glick responded furiously to the decision, insisting that he has adhered to police requirements during his decades of visits to the site.

“I’ve been ascending the Temple Mount for 40 years. I always follow the guidelines. The Temple Mount police are persecuting me with evil, with malice, for no wrong done to me,” he wrote.

Glick said the latest decision marks the third consecutive year that police have barred him from Har Habayis shortly before Sukkos, a period during which he has traditionally led groups and tours at the site.

He also directed criticism at National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, saying that despite Ben-Gvir’s own strong advocacy for expanded Jewish access to Har Habayis, the repeated restrictions against Glick have continued while Ben-Gvir has been responsible for the police.

The latest confrontation is part of a lengthy history between Glick and police over his activities on Har Habayis. He has repeatedly faced restrictions and exclusion orders over the years in connection with prayer and other activity at the site.

In one earlier case, a Yerushalayim Magistrate’s Court found that Glick had been wrongfully barred from Har Habayis between 2011 and 2013 after footage showed him praying there. The court initially awarded him substantial damages, although subsequent appeals reversed the compensation award.

Glick also survived an assassination attempt in Yerushalayim in October 2014, when he was shot multiple times at close range after attending a conference devoted to Jewish prayer rights on Har Habayis. He was critically wounded but ultimately recovered.

Referring to that assassination attempt while describing his anger over the latest police action, Glick wrote, “These people hurt me many times more than the man who tried to assassinate me hurt me. Really, how much evil can I take?”

Despite the six-month ban, Glick said he has no intention of allowing the decision to end his activism.

“And after all this, I lift my hands to the higher G-d and commit that they won’t manage to break me. I hope I can hold on.”

Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu has ordered a comprehensive review of Israel’s security system for foreign civilian flights after the attempted attack aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073 exposed what reports describe as years of ignored warnings, unclear lines of responsibility, intelligence gaps and inadequate screening of foreign air crews.

Netanyahu instructed National Security Council Director Shmuel Ben Ezra to appoint an examiner to investigate the entire foreign-aviation security framework, including how an Omani co-pilot who had previously raised extremism concerns abroad was able to repeatedly fly the Dubai-Tel Aviv route before allegedly trying to crash a plane carrying more than 170 passengers and crew.

The growing controversy extends far beyond the events aboard the aircraft. Reports published since the attack describe a security structure in which government ministries and intelligence agencies had warned one another for years about weaknesses in the system, yet key decisions remained unimplemented and responsibility for screening foreign crews was never clearly resolved.

The alleged attacker, identified in multiple reports as Omani national Hammam al-Hammami, had reportedly been prohibited from flying in Oman because of concerns about radicalization. He nevertheless later joined Flydubai and was assigned to flights serving Israel, despite Oman having no diplomatic relations with the Jewish state. Israeli authorities were reportedly unaware of his earlier history.

The questions surrounding his background have widened further. Australian counterterrorism authorities are now examining al-Hammami’s ties to Australia, where he studied roughly a decade ago. Australian intelligence services had reportedly maintained a file on him, and he had allegedly visited radical mosques and accessed extremist websites while living there.

He also trained with Royal Air Maroc before the Moroccan carrier declined to employ him. The combination of warnings and concerns emerging from several countries has intensified scrutiny of how he passed through Flydubai’s hiring and vetting process and, separately, how Israeli authorities failed to identify him as a potential threat before he flew repeatedly to Ben Gurion Airport.

An internal National Security Council document reported by Galei Tzahal showed that concerns over foreign-flight security long predated the Flydubai incident. According to the report, responsibility had been placed on the Transportation Ministry even though professionals inside the ministry warned that they did not possess the capabilities, authority or resources needed to perform the task properly.

The NSC itself reportedly warned in March 2025 that the Transportation Ministry was not carrying out the responsibilities assigned to it under an earlier government decision. Despite those warnings, the underlying arrangement remained in place.

A central part of the controversy concerns Israel’s National Passenger Data Analysis Center, which receives information about passengers and crews arriving aboard foreign airlines. The system can help authorities identify individuals whose citizenship, background or other information may require additional examination.

According to reports, the Transportation Ministry was entitled to make use of information from the system as part of its aviation-security responsibilities but never put such access into operation. The ministry, however, disputes the suggestion that it is responsible for conducting intelligence checks on individual foreign pilots.

The timing of crew information has also come under scrutiny. Channel 13 reported that airlines sometimes transmit crew details only shortly before departure and, in some instances, as late as 15 minutes after takeoff. That could leave Israeli security bodies learning about a potentially problematic crew member only after the aircraft is already airborne and heading toward Israel.

A government source said the timing is consistent with common international aviation practices and noted that no Israeli government agency had previously demanded a different procedure. Those practices are now being reconsidered in the wake of the Flydubai attack.

Recordings of a discussion between senior Transportation and Interior Ministry officials, aired by Channel 12, further illustrated the confusion. A Transportation Ministry representative reportedly asked how Israel would know that a crew member traveling on an Emirati passport also held Omani citizenship. An Interior Ministry official responded that crews were not screened to that degree and acknowledged that passenger and crew information could arrive only after a flight had taken off.

The Interior Ministry official later said that the information it received was passed along to the appropriate security agencies, including the Shin Bet and Mossad.

Adding another layer to the dispute, regional officials have said that the UAE had in fact provided Israel with the Flydubai crew and passenger details, including names and nationalities, before the flight. The Transportation Ministry maintains that the crew list was not given directly to it, while reports indicate that other Israeli government and security bodies had access to the information.

The case has therefore become as much a dispute over responsibility as one over missing information: who received the crew data, which agencies were expected to examine it, who was supposed to flag a problematic nationality or background, and whether anyone had access to the intelligence necessary to recognize the threat.

Al-Hammami may not have been the first foreign crew member from a country without diplomatic relations with Israel to reach Ben Gurion Airport. Reports indicate that pilots or air crew holding Iranian, Lebanese, Pakistani, Syrian and other citizenships have arrived in Israel in previous years, despite regulations intended to restrict such cases.

Channel 13 reported official figures showing that 10 Omani citizens entered Israel in 2022, 29 in 2023, nine in 2024 and 11 in 2025, with additional entries recorded during 2026. Oman is not formally classified by Israel as an enemy state, but the countries do not maintain diplomatic relations, and authorities believe that at least some of those entries may have involved airline personnel.

Israel has now tightened its rules. Under new instructions issued to foreign carriers, crew members who hold citizenship or dual citizenship in countries that do not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel are barred from serving aboard Israel-bound flights. The new directive reportedly covers citizens of 27 countries.

The unanswered questions reach back several years. In June 2023, the NSC convened a meeting with representatives of the Shin Bet and Mossad to discuss how intelligence should be transferred to civilian bodies responsible for aviation security.

Transportation Ministry representatives reportedly said at the meeting that although the ministry bore responsibility for securing foreign flights, it was not receiving sufficient intelligence to carry out that mission effectively. The meeting concluded with a decision that Mossad would increase the intelligence information passed to the ministry.

According to the reports, that decision was never implemented.

The Shin Bet had separately warned over the years about weaknesses in the tracking of foreign flight crews and the verification of passenger identities. Sources cited in Israeli media said the agency had recommended transferring responsibility for oversight of foreign flights and crew lists to the Israel Airports Authority.

The emerging picture is therefore one of warnings coming from multiple directions without producing a lasting solution. Transportation Ministry professionals complained that they lacked intelligence. Security agencies identified weaknesses in the screening system. Senior government officials were aware that responsibility remained disputed. Yet the structural problems were allowed to remain unresolved.

Questions have also emerged over the staffing of the Transportation Ministry’s Aviation Security, Emergency and Cyber Division, whose broad portfolio includes security responsibilities for multiple forms of transportation.

According to figures reported by Ynet, eight employees left the division between 2022 and 2025. The number of official positions reportedly declined from 21 to 19, six of them designated as part-time positions for students and senior citizens, while at least two senior positions remained vacant without budget allocations.

Despite responsibility for security and emergency systems involving air, maritime and land transportation, the unit reportedly operates with only about 10 permanent full-time employees.

Former ministry officials have said that efforts were made for years to strengthen the aviation-security operations center or transfer some of its responsibilities to the Shin Bet or Mossad. Those initiatives were never carried through.

Dani Shneer, a former senior director of the Security Division and former Transportation Ministry chief security officer, has said that the division was assigned responsibility for examining foreign flight crews under a government decision dating to 2003. Airlines were required to provide crew information in connection with permission to land in Israel.

Shneer has argued that the system functioned effectively in earlier years but that its responsibilities have since become too extensive for a relatively small government unit. He believes the function should be transferred to a national security organization.

The employment arrangements of officials involved in the system have also drawn attention. Channel 12 reported that Dvir Rubinstein, identified as the manager of the Transportation Ministry’s aviation-security operations center, works through an outsourced arrangement rather than as a government employee and also holds other jobs.

The Transportation Ministry confirmed that arrangement, saying Rubinstein’s additional employment had received legal approval and was conducted outside his government working hours.

Channel 12 later reported that Rubinstein had also performed paid private consulting and training work for foreign airlines, including Flydubai and Emirates, adding another issue now drawing scrutiny as officials examine the security structure surrounding foreign carriers.

Haaretz separately reported that Aviation Security Division chief Avi Cohen also works as a standby security officer in an overseas aviation-security system and receives separate compensation for that position. The Transportation Ministry said the outside role had been authorized when Cohen assumed his post in 2018.

The dispute over who should be responsible for foreign-flight security has been continuing for years. A cabinet decision in July 2021 addressed the allocation of responsibilities, and the matter subsequently appeared in a confidential State Comptroller report in May 2024.

A working group was later formed with representatives of the National Security Council, Transportation Ministry, Israel Airports Authority, Shin Bet, Mossad and Finance Ministry in an effort to resolve the matter.

According to Galei Tzahal, professional officials in the Transportation Ministry’s Security Division resisted assuming the responsibility because they believed they lacked the necessary tools. Nevertheless, Netanyahu decided in mid-2025 that the responsibility would remain with the Transportation Ministry.

The report said that even after that decision, the ministry’s Security Division did not approach the Shin Bet or Mossad to request assistance in carrying out security screening or the vetting of foreign passengers and crew members.

The Transportation Ministry has pushed back strongly against much of the criticism, arguing that some of the reports blur important distinctions between regularly scheduled foreign flights and charter operations.

The ministry also rejects the premise that assigning it responsibility for aviation security makes it responsible for intelligence investigations of every foreign pilot or crew member.

“The Transportation Ministry is not an intelligence body, and it does not have the tools to conduct intelligence background checks for crew members and passengers,” the ministry said.

According to the ministry, its procedures were approved by the NSC and Israel’s security organizations and are built around security measures undertaken in the country from which the flight originates, commitments made by the airline itself, and inspections performed by the ministry’s security division.

In the case of Flydubai, the ministry said the airline had been given explicit instructions requiring background checks on its personnel and had provided written confirmation that nationality restrictions were incorporated into its crew-assignment system. The ministry maintains that it never received the specific crew list for Flight FZ1073.

Those claims are now being tested against evidence from other agencies and foreign governments as investigators reconstruct what information existed, when Israel received it and who was responsible for acting on it.

The attack itself demonstrated the potential cost of those failures. During the September 30 flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, al-Hammami allegedly attacked Captain Smit Machchhar with an emergency crash axe and attempted to seize control of the aircraft. The Boeing 737 MAX plunged more than 16,000 feet in just over 30 seconds during its most severe descent.

Despite being seriously wounded, Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to overpower the co-pilot. A reserve Flydubai pilot traveling aboard the plane then helped regain control, and the aircraft eventually landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

UAE prosecutors have officially characterized the incident as a terrorist attack. Al-Hammami remains under investigation in the UAE, while authorities seek to determine his motive, whether he acted alone and whether anyone else helped plan or direct the attack.

The National Security Council examiner appointed under Netanyahu’s directive will now be expected to trace the failures across the entire chain: old warnings, unimplemented decisions, intelligence-sharing shortcomings, delayed crew information, manpower deficiencies and the longstanding argument over which agency was ultimately supposed to protect foreign flights entering Israel.

At the center of the review will be one overriding question: how a co-pilot who had reportedly already drawn the attention of authorities overseas, had been barred from flying over extremism concerns and was a citizen of a country without diplomatic relations with Israel was able to repeatedly enter the cockpit of aircraft bound for Tel Aviv — until one of those flights nearly ended in catastrophe.

The U.S. Air Force has withdrawn all of its B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford in England and returned them to the United States as British authorities investigate a suspected terrorist plot targeting the strategically important base, including possible links to Iran.

The Pentagon confirmed Sunday that the aircraft previously deployed to RAF Fairford, which has served as a major staging point for American bomber operations against Iran, had left the installation and returned to their home stations in the United States. Approximately a dozen B-1B Lancer bombers had recently been stationed there.

“US Air Force bombers routinely operate around the world to support global force readiness and operational requirements,” a department official told Fox News Digital.

The official said the Pentagon had been unable to discuss the aircraft movements while they were underway because of operational security concerns, but could now confirm that the bombers had been redeployed to the United States.

“The Airmen that operate America’s bomber force, including B-1s, B-2s, and B-52s, remain ready to deliver precision global strike capabilities – including through operations that launch and recover from the continental United States – anywhere, anytime,” the official added. Another U.S. official confirmed that approximately 12 B-1 bombers had been withdrawn.

The withdrawal came amid a widening British counterterrorism investigation into suspicious activity near RAF Fairford, a Gloucestershire base roughly 90 miles west of London that has played an important role in U.S. military operations during the war with Iran.

According to The Wall Street Journal, U.S. military commanders had received new warnings concerning a suspected Iran-backed plot against the installation before the bombers were removed. American officials reportedly believe investigators are examining whether an Iran-linked element of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps recruited British nationals to carry out an attack. Iran has denied involvement.

The investigation began after police were called to the area near RAF Fairford shortly after midnight on September 27 following reports of suspicious vehicles and masked men. Five British men in their early 20s were arrested near the base, initially on suspicion of explosives offenses and subsequently on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act.

Police searched three white vans associated with the suspects. No explosives were discovered, but authorities said a quantity of gasoline was recovered from the vehicles. Nearby homes were evacuated as bomb-disposal specialists examined the scene.

The five suspects were later released on bail under strict conditions while the counterterrorism investigation continued. Authorities have emphasized that their release does not mean the investigation has ended.

The case took a further turn days later when British counterterrorism officers arrested a sixth suspect, a 25-year-old dual British-Iranian national, in central London on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. He was subsequently released on bail as investigators continued examining the possibility of foreign-state involvement.

British authorities have said there are indications that Iran may have played a role in the alleged plot, while investigators continue analyzing electronic devices and other evidence in an effort to determine whether the suspects were acting independently or had been recruited or directed by a foreign power.

Tehran has strongly denied any connection to the incident. Iran has, however, previously warned that military installations used to launch attacks against Iranian territory could be regarded as legitimate targets.

RAF Fairford has assumed particular strategic importance during the current conflict because American long-range bombers have operated from the installation during U.S. strikes against Iran. The base has also been used by the United States during previous military operations in the Middle East.

The withdrawal does not mean the U.S. bomber force has lost the ability to conduct long-range missions in the region. American B-1, B-2 and B-52 bombers are capable of launching missions directly from bases in the continental United States, including extremely long-range strike operations supported by aerial refueling.

The bomber redeployment also comes as Washington continues to maintain a substantial military presence in the Middle East. Additional U.S. naval forces are heading toward the region, including the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier group, as tensions with Iran remain high and President Trump weighs the possibility of further military action.

The Pentagon has not publicly said whether the bombers will eventually return to RAF Fairford or whether their removal is expected to remain in effect for the duration of the terrorism investigation.

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The Omani co-pilot accused of stabbing the captain of Flydubai Flight FZ1073 and attempting to send the Israel-bound aircraft crashing to the ground had previously been grounded by Oman Air after being identified as a potential security risk, according to new reports that are raising serious questions about how he was later cleared to fly for Flydubai.

According to officials cited in the new reporting, the man was working as a co-pilot trainee for Oman Air in 2024 when extremist material was allegedly discovered in his possession. He was subsequently barred from flying for a year, although he was permitted to remain with the airline in an administrative capacity. Investigators are now examining how he later obtained a position with Flydubai and was ultimately assigned to a flight bound for Israel.

The Wall Street Journal separately reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that Omani authorities had concerns about the co-pilot’s ideological radicalization before Wednesday’s attack. It remains unclear whether those concerns were ever communicated to Flydubai, the United Arab Emirates or other countries and airlines. The precise nature of the earlier radicalization concerns has also not been publicly established.

The revelation is particularly significant because Israeli and Emirati authorities are investigating whether Wednesday’s attack was an act of terrorism and whether the co-pilot acted alone or received assistance or direction from another party. The UAE has established an investigative team to examine the circumstances and motive behind the incident, including whether it involved terrorist intent or advance planning.

A UAE spokesperson declined to discuss the co-pilot’s previous history in Oman, saying it was necessary “to avoid prejudging the outcome of the investigation or interfering with its course.” Flydubai and the Omani government did not respond to requests for comment on the reported earlier concerns.

The incident unfolded Wednesday aboard Flight FZ1073 as the aircraft traveled from Dubai to Tel Aviv with more than 170 people aboard. The co-pilot allegedly attacked Captain Smit Machchhar with a sharp weapon inside the cockpit as the plane suddenly plunged thousands of feet over Saudi Arabia.

Despite suffering serious stab wounds, Machchhar managed to unlock the cockpit, allowing passengers and other crew members to enter and overpower the attacker. Passengers used improvised restraints to subdue him, while reserve pilots who were aboard the aircraft took control and eventually landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

Machchhar, an Indian national with 17 years of flying experience and 11 years as a captain, has since described his determination to save the passengers despite his injuries. The dramatic intervention by the captain, passengers and reserve pilots prevented what officials say could have become a catastrophic aviation disaster.

The co-pilot and Machchhar were subsequently transferred from Saudi Arabia to the UAE after receiving medical treatment. Authorities from several countries are involved in the investigation, with particular attention now focused on the co-pilot’s background, his previous employment and the security screening that allowed him into the cockpit of an Israel-bound aircraft.

Another question under investigation is how an Omani national came to be assigned to the Tel Aviv route. According to reporting on the investigation, security arrangements between Israel and the UAE generally prohibit crew members from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel from serving aboard flights to Israel. Oman does not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that investigators increasingly believe the co-pilot had undergone Islamist radicalization and intended to bring down the aircraft, while stressing that authorities were still trying to determine whether anyone had directed him.

“As time passes, the picture becomes clearer. Yaniv and his brave friends averted another 9/11,” Netanyahu said. “The attacker underwent Islamist radicalization; he came to crash the plane with everyone inside. We are investigating whether he was sent, and whoever sent him will pay a very heavy price.”

Netanyahu’s latest comments represented a firmer assessment than he had given immediately after the attack, when he said it was still too early to determine the motive and suggested that the co-pilot’s actions initially appeared consistent with an attempt to crash the aircraft rather than a conventional hijacking. Israeli security officials have said their initial assessment is that the co-pilot may have acted alone, although that question remains under investigation.

President Trump has separately said that information reaching him had raised the possibility of Iranian involvement. Israeli officials, however, have said they have not found evidence establishing an Iranian connection, while emphasizing that the investigation remains ongoing.

Flydubai has meanwhile suspended all flights to and from Israel until further notice at the request of authorities while the investigation proceeds. CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith said the airline is assisting affected passengers and remains in coordination with government and aviation authorities.

{Matzav.com}

Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian Flydubai pilot whose actions helped save the passengers aboard the Tel Aviv-bound flight attacked by its co-pilot, has spoken publicly from his hospital bed for the first time, breaking down in tears as he described the moment he realized that despite his severe wounds, he had to force open the cockpit door or everyone aboard could die.

Machchhar spoke Friday by video from a hospital in Abu Dhabi with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, giving a firsthand account of the extraordinary battle inside the cockpit of Flydubai Flight FZ1073 and the split-second decision that allowed passengers and crew members to rush in and overpower the attacker.

The captain had initially been treated in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where he underwent emergency surgery after the aircraft made an emergency landing following Wednesday’s attack. He was subsequently transferred to the United Arab Emirates for continued treatment.

During the conversation, Machchhar described being badly wounded and knocked to the cockpit floor as the aircraft began plunging from its cruising altitude. Drawing on more than 17 years of flying experience, he said he could sense what was happening to the aircraft even without being able to see the instruments.

“I had so many injuries, but I told myself I have to get up and act. At the time, I told myself that I have been flying for 17 years. Even with my eyes closed, I can tell what is happening with the aircraft.”

Machchhar said that while lying wounded on the floor, he realized the aircraft was descending and understood that his only chance was to reach the cockpit door and get help from the cabin.

“I had suffered so many injuries that I had collapsed. At that time, I could feel that the aircraft was going down. I knew this was the last push, that the door was right there,” he recalled.

Even as the attack continued, Machchhar managed to reach and open the cockpit door.

“I was being hit even then, but I just opened the door and everyone came in.”

That decision proved critical. Once the cockpit door opened, passengers and crew members rushed forward and helped overpower the co-pilot, while qualified pilots traveling aboard the aircraft took control of the jet and ultimately brought it safely to the ground in Tabuk.

The Boeing 737 MAX 8 had gone into a terrifying dive during the struggle, losing thousands of feet as those aboard fought to regain control of the aircraft.

Machchhar became visibly emotional while recounting the ordeal to Modi, at one point telling the Indian leader how meaningful the personal call was to him.

“You are my biggest idol. I never thought I would speak to you,” Machchhar told Modi.

The captain also revealed that during the struggle he repeatedly recited the Hanuman Chalisa, a Hindu prayer that he said gave him strength as he fought through his injuries.

“Whenever I am in pain, I recite the Hanuman Chalisa. At that time too, I only kept reciting the Hanuman Chalisa,” he said.

“I know God himself saved me,” Machchhar said as he became emotional.

He told Modi that the prayer is part of the religious and cultural tradition he is trying to pass on to his two-year-old son as well.

Modi praised the captain for putting the lives of the passengers ahead of his own while he himself was fighting to survive.

“You had such a big wound on your body, you yourself were fighting for life and death. At that time, you did not care for your life, you cared for the lives of all the travellers,” Modi told him.

The Indian prime minister told Machchhar that his actions had become a source of enormous pride across India and said people throughout the country were praying for his recovery.

“You took decisions in a fraction of a second and saved the lives of so many people,” Modi told the injured captain. “When you yourself were fighting between life and death, you did not worry about your own life, but about the lives of all the passengers. Today the entire country can proudly say that we Indians are not people who take lives, but people who save lives. You have raised the pride of 1.4 billion citizens of the country.”

Modi told Machchhar that prayers were being held for him at religious sites across India and said the captain’s actions had resonated well beyond the country’s borders.

“You have shown through your life what non-violence means. You have done such a great deed that every citizen of this country, and people around the world, are eager to see you and speak with you.”

Modi also told the captain that he had spoken with members of his family and had been struck by their strength throughout the ordeal. He thanked Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for the medical care provided to Machchhar following the attack.

Before ending the call, Modi offered the wounded pilot a personal assurance: “Smit, whenever you need anything, I am just one phone call away.”

The recognition for Machchhar is now extending beyond the prime minister’s office. The government of Gujarat has announced that the captain will receive an award honoring his extraordinary courage during the crisis.

Machchhar’s actions have also drawn praise in Israel and the UAE, with officials crediting his decision to open the cockpit door with giving passengers and other crew members the opportunity to intervene before the aircraft could be brought down.

The accused co-pilot, an Omani national whose name has not been publicly released, was also transferred from Saudi Arabia to the UAE, where authorities are investigating his motive and whether the attack involved advance planning, terrorist direction or outside assistance.

Israeli officials are hoping their close relationship with Abu Dhabi will allow Israeli observers to participate in or closely follow the investigation after Saudi Arabia reportedly declined an earlier Israeli request for such involvement.

Despite statements from President Donald Trump about the possibility of Iranian involvement, Israeli authorities have not established a connection between the attacker and Iran. Investigators are examining the co-pilot’s background and social-media activity as they seek to determine whether he acted independently or had ties to others.

Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu has said the co-pilot underwent “Islamist radical indoctrination,” while investigators are now focusing on whether the attack was independently conceived or involved advance planning or direction from others.

For Machchhar, however, the decisions inside the cockpit came down to something far more immediate. Badly wounded on the floor and sensing from nearly two decades of flying experience that the aircraft was going down, he understood that the cockpit door was only feet away — and that opening it could be the difference between life and death for everyone aboard.

“I was being hit even then, but I just opened the door and everyone came in.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump turned up the pressure on Senate Republicans Friday to permanently end the twice-a-year changing of the clocks, singling out Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas as the lawmaker standing in the way of legislation that has already won overwhelming bipartisan approval in the House.

The Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent in most of the country, sailed through the House on July 14 by a 308-117 vote. The legislation was sent to the Senate the following day and referred to the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, where it has yet to advance.

Trump, who has taken to calling the proposal the “No More Changing of Clocks Act,” urged Republicans to get the measure across the finish line and portrayed the issue as a rare opportunity for lawmakers in both parties to deliver a broadly popular change.

“A ridiculous Clock changing process that takes place twice a year, costs our Country a fortune, is bad for Crime, stress on people, Sports, and just about everything else you can imagine,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post early Friday.

“People don’t want to go around changing their Clocks anymore and, besides, far and away, most people like having an hour of extra sunlight in the evening, rather than in the morning,” he added.

Trump then directly blamed Cotton for the bill’s lack of progress in the Senate, despite having previously backed the Arkansas Republican’s reelection campaign.

“Unfortunately, it’s being held up by Senator Tom Cotton, of Arkansas, for reasons unknown,” Trump wrote.

Cotton’s reasons, however, have been laid out publicly. The Arkansas senator has argued that permanent daylight saving time would create dangerously dark winter mornings, particularly affecting schoolchildren, farmers, construction workers and millions of other Americans who begin their days early.

The disagreement centers on an important distinction that can sometimes get lost in the debate: both sides want to eliminate the ritual of changing clocks twice each year. The fight is over which time should become permanent — daylight saving time, with more evening light, or standard time, with earlier morning sunlight.

Under the House-passed legislation, clocks would remain one hour ahead of standard time throughout the winter. That would move both sunrise and sunset an hour later according to the clock, producing brighter evenings but significantly darker mornings during the shortest days of the year.

Cotton has warned that some communities in Arkansas would not see sunrise until after 8 a.m. during parts of the winter. In states farther north and west within their time zones, sunrise could come considerably later.

“If permanent daylight saving time becomes the law of the land, it will again make winter a dark and dismal time for millions of Americans,” Cotton said in an October 2025 Senate speech.

Trump sees the tradeoff very differently. In his lengthy Friday post, the president argued that keeping daylight saving time year-round would provide Americans with more usable sunlight after work and school while benefiting sports, restaurants, retailers, tourism and other industries.

He also cited potential benefits involving crime, traffic accidents and health, arguing that additional evening daylight would make streets safer and give families more opportunities for outdoor activities. Trump even invoked professional golf, saying PGA Commissioner Brian Rolapp supports the change because winter tournaments can run out of daylight before play is completed.

Trump also challenged one of the arguments historically made against permanent daylight saving time — that farmers need additional morning light — asserting that many farmers would actually prefer having more daylight later in the day to harvest crops.

The president’s intervention comes at an awkward moment for supporters hoping for quick Senate action. Senators have left Washington ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, with the chamber’s next scheduled vote not until Nov. 9.

That calendar makes it virtually certain that Americans will still turn their clocks back one hour on Sunday, Nov. 1, unless Congress takes extraordinary action before then.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota has also raised doubts about whether supporters can assemble the 60 votes necessary to overcome a filibuster. While the proposal has bipartisan backing, Republican senators themselves remain divided over whether permanent daylight saving time is preferable to permanent standard time.

The country has tried permanent daylight saving time before — and the experience remains central to Cotton’s argument. Congress imposed year-round daylight saving time in January 1974 amid the energy crisis, hoping that additional evening daylight would reduce energy consumption.

The experiment quickly became unpopular in parts of the country as millions of children headed to school before sunrise during the winter. Congress reversed course later that year, and the United States ultimately returned to seasonal clock changes.

Congress came close to changing the system again decades later. In March 2022, the Senate unanimously approved an earlier version of the Sunshine Protection Act, but the House never brought that measure to a final vote before the congressional session ended.

This time, the situation is reversed. The House has already acted, with 308 members voting for the measure and 117 opposing it, leaving the Senate as the remaining congressional obstacle.

Federal law currently sets daylight saving time from the second Sunday in March through the first Sunday in November. Individual states may opt out and remain on standard time throughout the year, as Hawaii and most of Arizona currently do, but states cannot independently choose permanent daylight saving time without congressional authorization.

Medical experts are also divided from Trump over which permanent system would be preferable. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine supports ending the twice-yearly clock changes but favors permanent standard time rather than permanent daylight saving time, arguing that standard time corresponds more closely with the body’s natural circadian rhythms.

Trump, meanwhile, is framing permanent daylight saving time as both a quality-of-life issue and an economic one, arguing that Americans overwhelmingly want to stop changing their clocks and would prefer the additional hour of evening sunlight.

With the House already having approved the measure by a wide bipartisan margin, Trump’s Friday broadside has now placed the spotlight squarely on Cotton and other skeptical Senate Republicans as the debate over America’s twice-yearly clock change returns to Washington.

{Matzav.com}

Great emotion swept through the Gerrer community on Friday morning when the Gerrer Rebbe emerged to participate in the special tefillos of Hoshana Rabbah, after several days of weakness during Chol Hamoed during which the Rebbe did not come out for the regular public tefillos.

Thousands of Gerrer chassidim who had been concerned over the Rebbe’s condition were deeply moved to see him appear for the Hoshana Rabbah proceedings, marking his return to the public tefillos on one of the most significant mornings of the year.

The Rebbe participated in the davening and the special avodah of Hoshana Rabbah, including the seven hakafos traditionally conducted on the final day of Sukkos.

A special bimah was prepared for the occasion, around which the Rebbe performed the hakafos. Images from the Gerrer bais medrash showed the Rebbe holding the arba minim as he took part in the lengthy Hoshana Rabbah tefillos.

The Rebbe was also seen performing chibut aravah, the ancient minhag nevi’im observed on Hoshana Rabbah, in which the special bundle of aravos is struck following the completion of the Hoshanos.

{Matzav.com}

A senior Iranian security official lashed out at President Donald Trump on Friday, mocking his repeated declarations that the United States is winning its war against Iran as Washington weighs whether to resume major strikes against Tehran amid stalled negotiations.

Maj. Gen. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and a longtime senior figure in the Islamic Republic’s security establishment, launched the broadside in a social-media post responding to Trump’s increasingly forceful predictions that Iran is nearing defeat.

Rezaei described Trump as “the worst president in American history” and said his rhetoric had “outrun his own fantasies.”

“You can win every day in your own imagination. But reality is shaped by Iran – by its people, its soldiers, and its missiles,” he wrote.

The attack came just days after Rezaei accused Trump of being trapped between continuing the war and reaching a negotiated settlement. Earlier in the week, the Iranian official claimed that Trump could neither negotiate nor fight his way out of the conflict, as Tehran sought to portray Washington as increasingly desperate for an exit.

Trump, however, has been delivering a very different message. Speaking Thursday in Denton, Texas, the president said Iran is “ready to fold up” and predicted that the United States could bring the conflict to a successful conclusion around the November midterm elections.

“We have a war going on with a country that will never have a nuclear weapon and is ready to fold up. We’ll win very easily right now. I believe right after the election we’ll win, but maybe before the election.”

Trump again pointed to Iran’s nuclear program as a central justification for the military campaign, saying Tehran had been “three to four weeks away, maybe sooner” from obtaining a nuclear weapon when the war erupted at the end of February.

“And if they have a nuclear weapon, the whole game is over..”

The president has also made clear that he considers renewed military action an option if Tehran does not accept an agreement Washington considers satisfactory. The administration is simultaneously pursuing negotiations through intermediaries while preparing military options should those efforts fail.

Trump said the confrontation would end “one way or the other…either they’ll do something very proper and smart or they won’t be around very long, which is, you know, frankly, I hate to see that, but they won’t be around very long.”

His warnings have coincided with preparations for a substantial reinforcement of American military power in the Middle East. Thousands of additional U.S. troops and naval assets are being moved toward the region as the administration considers its next steps against Iran.

The increasingly sharp rhetoric comes as diplomatic efforts remain deadlocked. Iran submitted a proposal last week under which the United States would lift its blockade of Iranian ports while Tehran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days. Qatar has been serving as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran.

Trump publicly said he had rejected the Iranian proposal, although Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi initially maintained that Tehran had not received a formal rejection. Iranian officials subsequently announced that an official American response had been delivered through the Qatari channel.

An official briefed on the negotiations said the two sides largely agree on some of the steps that would be required for an agreement but remain at odds over the order in which those steps would occur. The dispute includes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the lifting of American restrictions and the broader terms of a renewed ceasefire.

Trump said Wednesday that Washington was nearing the point at which it would have to choose between reaching an agreement and using additional military force against Iran.

Asked in the Oval Office how an agreement could be reached with Iranian leaders whom he has repeatedly called “crazy,” Trump said, “Maybe you blow them up. Maybe you blow them up. We have to make that decision. We blow them up, make a deal. But the time is coming. It’s going to end very soon, one way or the other. ”

Trump sharpened the warning again Thursday, saying Iran faced an increasingly stark choice over whether to accept American terms. “They’ll either sign a very fair deal, or they won’t exist any longer.”

Rezaei’s attack on Trump reflects Tehran’s effort to counter the president’s assertions that Iran has been weakened to the point of capitulation. Iranian officials have instead insisted that their military remains capable of striking American and allied targets and disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

The confrontation has now entered its eighth month, with the Strait of Hormuz remaining one of the central points of contention. Shipping through the strategically vital waterway has increased in recent weeks but remains substantially disrupted, while the continuing danger to vessels has driven up costs and complicated global energy supplies.

Against that backdrop, the latest exchange between Trump and Rezaei underscored how far apart Washington and Tehran remain: Trump says Iran is approaching the point of surrender, while one of Tehran’s most senior security officials insists that any American victory exists only in the president’s imagination.

{Matzav.com}

The IDF and British broadcaster Piers Morgan became embroiled in a fiery public confrontation on X after the Israeli military released findings claiming that 170 Palestinians killed in Gaza and widely described as journalists or media workers were also members of terrorist organizations, primarily Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

The online battle erupted as the IDF began publicizing what it described as the results of an extensive investigation into Gazans whose deaths have been included in international counts of journalists killed during the war. The military says its newly released material demonstrates that a substantial number simultaneously served in terrorist organizations.

Ahead of releasing the findings Thursday, the IDF posted a video highlighting prominent commentators who have accused Israel of killing journalists in Gaza. Among those featured was Morgan, who is shown saying: “The IDF has killed over 200 Palestinian journalists and tries to pretend they’re all Hamas.”

The video also featured clips of Hasan Piker, Mehdi Hasan and Owen Jones making allegations about Israel’s treatment of journalists during the Gaza war.

The IDF’s video then teased the release of its evidence with the message: “For almost 3 years you’ve heard the accusations and fake news. Soon we will expose the truth.”

The military accompanied the video with another message challenging the narrative that has dominated much international coverage of journalist casualties in Gaza.

“The headlines told you one story, the evidence tells another. Stay tuned, soon we’ll reveal it all…”

The IDF tagged Morgan, Piker, Hasan and Jones directly before adding a pointed question: “This you?”

Morgan quickly fired back, saying he was unwilling to accept the Israeli military’s findings at face value and pointing to Israel’s restrictions on independent foreign journalists entering Gaza during the war.

“Forgive me, I don’t trust you guys to be entirely truthful given your ongoing ban on international journalists reporting freely in Gaza. Let them in, and then we can discover the real facts about what you have done there.”

The IDF responded with an unusually combative message from its official account, accusing Morgan of avoiding the evidence after having made sweeping accusations against Israel.

“Spread lies, get called out, and then try to change the topic. Quite the journalist you are. How about you take a look at the evidence, then get back to us?”

The exchange rapidly spread across X, drawing widespread attention as supporters and critics of Israel weighed in on both the IDF’s findings and Morgan’s response.

Behind the social-media fireworks was a much larger IDF disclosure. The military said that after a lengthy intelligence review, it identified 170 Gazans who had been presented internationally as journalists or media personnel but who, according to Israeli intelligence, were also members of terrorist organizations.

The IDF said its evidence includes internal documents produced by the terrorist organizations themselves, records recovered by Israeli troops inside Gaza, photographs and other intelligence material. The military has created a dedicated database displaying names, photographs, organizational affiliations, positions and evidence it says can be publicly disclosed.

Additional details released with the findings indicate that 118 of the 170 individuals were identified by the IDF as members of Hamas’s military wing, while 49 were identified as members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The remaining cases involved other terrorist affiliations.

Perhaps the most striking finding is the IDF’s assertion that 17 of the individuals on its list participated in the October 7 massacre in southern Israel.

Some of the individuals identified by the IDF had also done work for major international media organizations. Among the cases highlighted in the newly released database are Gazans who worked as photographers, freelancers, radio personnel or other media employees while allegedly maintaining parallel roles in Hamas or Islamic Jihad.

The IDF says the evidence directly challenges accusations that Israel has pursued a policy of intentionally targeting journalists. It maintains that membership in a media organization does not erase a person’s separate role in an armed terrorist organization and says its newly released documentation demonstrates that some of those counted internationally as journalists were simultaneously terrorist operatives.

At the same time, the IDF’s list does not establish that every Palestinian journalist killed during the war belonged to a terrorist organization, nor does it resolve the broader dispute over journalist deaths in Gaza. International press-freedom organizations have continued to accuse Israel of causing unprecedented losses among media workers and have demanded greater independent access to Gaza.

That broader dispute was precisely the point Morgan raised in his response. Rather than directly addressing the individual cases contained in the IDF database, he argued that international journalists should be permitted to enter Gaza freely so that outside media organizations can independently investigate events there.

The IDF, for its part, made clear that it viewed Morgan’s response as an attempt to shift away from his original assertion. Its message challenged him to examine the individual evidence the military had released before repeating claims about those killed.

The newly released IDF material is expected to intensify the international argument over how journalist casualty figures from Gaza are compiled, particularly in cases where individuals performed recognizable media work while allegedly also serving Hamas, Islamic Jihad or other armed groups.

For the moment, however, it was the unusually personal clash between one of Britain’s best-known broadcasters and the official account of the Israeli military that drew much of the attention — with Morgan saying he does not trust the IDF’s version of events and the IDF answering him with its blunt challenge: “Spread lies, get called out, and then try to change the topic. Quite the journalist you are. How about you take a look at the evidence, then get back to us?”

{Matzav.com}

Flydubai Flight FZ1073 reportedly faced another terrifying obstacle even after passengers had subdued the co-pilot accused of trying to crash the Israel-bound jet: the crippled aircraft’s initial requests for permission to make an emergency landing were rejected by both Saudi Arabia and Jordan despite a mayday call reporting an attempted hijacking and requesting ambulances on the ground.

The extraordinary account adds a new dimension to the ordeal aboard the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight, which plunged more than 16,000 feet after the co-pilot allegedly attacked Captain Smit Machchhar inside the cockpit. With Machchhar badly wounded and passengers screaming in the cabin, reserve pilots aboard the aircraft took control and desperately searched for somewhere to land.

According to a person familiar with the air traffic control communications, a trembling voice from aboard FZ1073 contacted Saudi controllers and declared “Mayday,” reporting the attempted hijacking and advising authorities that ambulances would be needed when the aircraft landed.

The emergency transmission came after passengers had rushed the cockpit and helped overpower the co-pilot, who Israeli officials say deliberately tried to bring down the Boeing 737 MAX 8 as it traveled toward Tel Aviv.

Machchhar, an Indian national and veteran Flydubai captain, had suffered serious wounds to his head, arm and torso during the attack. Videos and photographs from aboard the aircraft showed blood throughout the cockpit area as passengers attempted to help the injured captain.

At the same time, the aircraft had undergone a horrifying series of altitude changes. Flight-tracking data shows that FZ1073 had been cruising at approximately 34,000 feet when it suddenly plunged to around 16,600 feet in little more than 30 seconds, followed by additional violent climbs and descents.

The aircraft also transmitted two internationally recognized emergency transponder codes during the crisis: 7700, indicating a general emergency, followed by 7500, the code used to signal unlawful interference or a hijacking.

The person who heard the communications said screams from passengers could be heard in the background of the mayday transmission while those aboard struggled to stabilize the aircraft.

Despite the reported plea for an immediate landing, Saudi controllers initially did not allow the aircraft to land and instead directed it toward Jordanian airspace, according to the account.

The reserve pilots who had taken control of the aircraft then sought authorization to land in Jordan. They were reportedly told that clearance from the Jordanian military would be required.

After waiting several minutes, however, the aircraft was reportedly denied permission to land there as well.

That left the pilots with no choice but to turn back toward Saudi Arabia and make another request for emergency landing clearance as the wounded captain required urgent medical treatment and the alleged attacker remained restrained aboard the aircraft.

On the second approach, Saudi authorities granted permission for FZ1073 to land at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk.

The aircraft touched down safely in Tabuk at approximately 9:45 a.m. local time, bringing an end to the airborne portion of an ordeal that had begun with what investigators now believe was a deliberate attack inside the cockpit.

Saudi Arabia has since issued its own official account of the emergency response. The Saudi Interior Ministry said authorities took the necessary measures after an emergency was declared aboard FZ1073 and granted the aircraft clearance to make an emergency landing in Tabuk.

The Saudi statement did not address the separate report that an earlier request to land had initially been denied, and no official explanation has been publicly provided for the reported first refusal or for the reported denial of landing clearance in Jordan.

Saudi authorities said 174 passengers and eight crew members were aboard the aircraft when it landed. Of the passengers, 166 were Israelis.

Once the plane was safely on the ground, Machchhar and the accused co-pilot were taken to a hospital for medical treatment. Saudi authorities subsequently said their preliminary investigation, conducted together with an Emirati security team, determined that the co-pilot had assaulted the captain and that both men suffered injuries.

Machchhar’s actions during the attack have since drawn widespread praise. Despite being seriously wounded, the captain managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and other crew members to enter and overpower the attacker.

Passengers then restrained the co-pilot while additional qualified pilots traveling aboard FZ1073 assumed control and worked to stabilize the aircraft.

The UAE has since characterized the incident as an act of terror, while investigators are examining whether the co-pilot acted alone, planned the attack in advance or was acting under the direction of another party.

Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu said Friday that investigators believe the co-pilot had undergone Islamist radicalization and intended to crash the aircraft with everyone aboard.

“As time passes, the picture becomes clearer. Yaniv and his brave friends averted another 9/11,” Netanyahu said. “The attacker underwent Islamist radicalization; he came to crash the plane with everyone inside. We are investigating whether he was sent, and whoever sent him will pay a very heavy price.”

The co-pilot, an Omani national whose identity has not been publicly released, was transferred Thursday from Saudi Arabia to Abu Dhabi, where UAE authorities are leading the investigation into his motive and any possible outside connections.

Machchhar was also transferred to Abu Dhabi after being medically cleared to travel and is continuing his recovery there. Indian officials have said he is in stable condition and recovering well from his injuries.

Saudi authorities said all passengers and crew received assistance following the emergency landing. At approximately 5:40 p.m., the passengers continued their journey aboard a replacement Flydubai aircraft, while the original crew returned separately to Dubai.

Some passengers were initially reluctant to board another Flydubai aircraft after what they had just endured, but they eventually continued their journey and arrived safely at Ben Gurion Airport hours after the attempted attack.

The latest disclosures mean the passengers of FZ1073 apparently faced two distinct crises in succession: first surviving an alleged attempt by a member of the flight crew to bring down their aircraft, and then, according to the reported air traffic control account, confronting uncertainty over where the damaged plane would be permitted to make its emergency landing.

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu said Friday that investigators are increasingly convinced that the Flydubai co-pilot intended to deliberately crash Flight FZ1073 with everyone aboard, while authorities are now trying to determine whether the alleged terrorist acted on instructions from someone else.

Netanyahu’s latest remarks represent his strongest statement yet regarding the suspected motive behind Wednesday’s terrifying attack aboard the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight. He said the investigation has found evidence of Islamist radicalization and warned that if another party dispatched the attacker, those responsible would face severe consequences.

“As time passes, the picture becomes clearer. Yaniv and his brave friends averted another 9/11,” Netanyahu said. “The attacker underwent Islamist radicalization; he came to crash the plane with everyone inside. We are investigating whether he was sent, and whoever sent him will pay a very heavy price.”

Netanyahu was referring to Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayun and the other passengers and crew members who rushed into the cockpit after the wounded captain, Smit Machchhar, managed to open the cockpit door. Hayun helped wrest the attacker away from the controls as the Boeing 737 was rapidly losing altitude, while other passengers subdued him and additional pilots aboard the flight ultimately took control of the aircraft.

The prime minister’s emphasis on whether the attacker “was sent” comes as investigators in the United Arab Emirates examine whether the incident involved advance planning, terrorist motives or outside direction. The accused co-pilot, an Omani national whose name has not been publicly released, has been transferred from Saudi Arabia to Abu Dhabi and is now in UAE custody.

No evidence has yet been publicly released establishing that a government, terrorist organization or other outside party directed the attack. Netanyahu has previously said that investigators were examining the possibility of Iranian involvement but had not established such a connection.

The investigation took another significant turn Friday when senior UAE official Anwar Gargash publicly characterized the incident as terrorism, marking one of the clearest descriptions of the attack to date from an Emirati official.

Gargash, diplomatic adviser to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, referred to the attempted downing of the aircraft as “an act of terror” while praising Machchhar for his actions during the crisis.

“The FlyDubai pilot deserves full credit,” Gargash wrote. “In the face of a dangerous act of terror and a potential disaster, he embodied the true meaning of courage and responsibility. The professionalism and moral integrity he demonstrated in the most challenging circumstances make him a real hero.”

Gargash nevertheless cautioned against jumping from the emerging evidence to conclusions about who may have been behind the attack.

He added a note of caution, writing: “Without endorsing interpretations or promoting conspiracy theories, alertness and caution remain essential in dealing with the dangers of extremism and terror.”

Machchhar, meanwhile, spoke publicly Friday for the first time about the extraordinary battle inside the cockpit, recounting the ordeal during an emotional video conversation from his Abu Dhabi hospital bed with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The veteran Indian pilot, who has approximately 17 years of aviation experience and has served as a captain for roughly 11 years, described realizing from the movement of the aircraft that it was plunging while he lay badly wounded on the cockpit floor.

Machchhar said that despite his injuries, he understood that reaching and opening the cockpit door represented his last opportunity to save the aircraft. Once he succeeded, passengers were able to enter the cockpit and confront the attacker.

He explained that he was fighting for his own survival while simultaneously realizing that the lives of everyone aboard depended on him getting the door open.

The captain suffered multiple wounds to his head and hands during the attack. Images from his conversation with Modi showed him in a hospital bed with visible bandaging as he described the ordeal.

Machchhar also revealed that he drew strength from his religious faith during the attack, reciting the Hanuman Chalisa, a Hindu devotional hymn, as he fought to remain conscious and respond to the unfolding emergency.

Modi praised the captain’s courage, composure and presence of mind, telling him that India was praying for his recovery and expressing pride in the actions that helped save the aircraft and its passengers.

Flight FZ1073 had departed Dubai for Tel Aviv Wednesday with 174 people aboard when the co-pilot allegedly attacked Machchhar and attempted to force the aircraft downward. Flight-tracking data showed the plane losing roughly 14,000 feet of altitude in less than a minute during the most dramatic portion of the emergency.

The aircraft transmitted emergency signals, including a code associated with unlawful interference, as the crisis unfolded in the cockpit.

After Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, Hayun and others rushed forward. The attacker was pulled away from the controls and eventually restrained, while qualified pilots who happened to be traveling aboard the flight helped stabilize the aircraft and divert it to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

Netanyahu subsequently met Hayun after his return to Israel and praised his actions, telling him that without his intervention the incident could have ended in a catastrophe resembling the September 11 attacks.

Saudi authorities conducted the initial investigation after the emergency landing and later transferred both Machchhar and the accused co-pilot to Abu Dhabi. Machchhar is continuing to recover in a UAE hospital, while the suspect is being held as Emirati authorities investigate his background and motive.

The UAE Attorney General has established a specialized prosecutorial team to investigate the case, including whether the attack was connected to terrorism and whether it involved prior planning or direction by others.

Investigators are expected to scrutinize the co-pilot’s communications, contacts and activities before the flight as they seek to determine how and when he was allegedly radicalized and whether anyone else knew of or participated in the plan.

For Netanyahu, that unanswered question has now moved to the center of the investigation: authorities believe they increasingly understand what the attacker intended to do aboard FZ1073, but they are still trying to establish whether the plan began and ended with the man inside the cockpit — or whether someone else sent him.

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, issued an emotional Simchas Torah message Friday from the hospital bedside of his son Neriyah, who remains on life support after suffering a severe brain injury in a terrorist ramming attack last week, thanking Jews around the world for their tefillos while delivering a broader message about terrorism, Jewish survival and the enduring light of Klal Yisroel.

Neriyah, an IDF reservist, was critically wounded on September 23 when a Palestinian terrorist rammed him with a vehicle near the Maccabim checkpoint on Route 443. He was rushed unconscious to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Yerushalayim, where he underwent hours of emergency brain surgery. Doctors succeeded in stabilizing him, but his condition remained extremely serious and his life remained in danger.

More than a week later, Neriyah remains on life support. From beside his son ahead of Simchas Torah, Leiter described the gratitude he and his family feel for the extraordinary outpouring of tefillos and support they have received.

“As I sit here at my son Neriyah’s bedside, I am thinking about what the most appropriate message would be as we enter the Simchat Torah holiday. Neriyah is still on life support and my first thought is one of immense gratitude for the support and all the prayers on his behalf. Your prayers have given my family and me tremendous strength in the knowledge that prayers matter. Prime Minister Netanyahu visited us in the hospital today to share a much-needed sense of comfort and support.”

Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu visited the Leiter family at Shaare Zedek on Friday, continuing his personal contact with the family since the attack. Netanyahu had also visited the hospital shortly after Neriyah was wounded, before departing for the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Leiter then turned from his son’s personal battle for survival to what he described as the ideology behind a series of deadly and attempted terrorist attacks against Israelis, connecting the October 7 massacre with the recent murder of Netanel Shakron, the attack on Neriyah and the attempted downing of a Flydubai passenger jet bound for Tel Aviv.

“My second thought is of the importance of reminding ourselves, and anyone still willing to listen, that the October 7 attack on Simchat Torah three years ago was cultivated in an ideology that believes killing Jews is admirable and that there is no place for an Israel, any Israel. It is the same ideology that murdered Nathaniel Shukrun just before Yom Kippur, tried to murder my second son right after Yom Kippur, and tried to crash a passenger jet on its way to Tel Aviv two days before the anniversary of Israel’s own September 11. Until we defeat this ideology, we are all like Neriyah, on life support.”

Shakron, a father of six from Alei Zahav, was murdered on Erev Yom Kippur when a terrorist opened fire near the Ein Raya spring in the Binyamin region, where Shakron had gone with his teenage son to immerse before Yom Kippur. His son survived the attack.

Leiter’s reference to the passenger jet concerned the attempted attack aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073, the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight on which the co-pilot allegedly attacked and wounded the captain inside the cockpit. Authorities in the United Arab Emirates are investigating whether the incident involved terrorism, advance planning or outside direction.

The ambassador’s third reflection focused on what he described as the often-misunderstood resilience of the Jewish people. He explained that Neriyah’s very name embodies the concept of carrying light forward, tying his son’s name to the Torah’s description of Aharon Hakohen kindling the Menorah.

“And thought #3: People don’t understand Israeli resilience. Neriyah is Hebrew for “G-d’s candle.” We gave him that name because he was born just before the Sabbath when the Biblical portion that begins with Numbers 8:2 is read in synagogues. In the verse, G-d instructs Moses to tell Aharon to set up seven lamps in a way that they face forward and give light in front of the Temple’s golden lamp stand. Aaron’s merit in this task was greater than all the other leaders who participated in the consecration of the holy Temple. Greater why? Because the consecration was a one-time occurrence, while illuminating the Temple, Jerusalem, was a permanent and ongoing duty.”

The imagery of a permanent flame carries particular meaning for the Leiter family, which has already endured the loss of another son in the war that followed October 7.

Neriyah’s older brother, Maj. (res.) Moshe Yedidya Leiter, was killed in battle in northern Gaza on November 10, 2023. Moshe, 39, was a company commander in Battalion 697 of the IDF’s 551st Brigade and had previously served in the elite Shaldag unit. A father of six, he had completed medical studies and was preparing to begin hospital training when the war erupted.

After Moshe’s death, Neriyah continued serving extensively in the reserves. Leiter has previously said that his son performed hundreds of days of reserve duty on various fronts following October 7. Family members have described Neriyah as the son who worked to hold everyone together after Moshe was killed.

From his son’s hospital bedside, Leiter invoked Mark Twain’s famous reflections on the extraordinary endurance of the Jewish people through thousands of years of persecution, exile and the rise and fall of civilizations.

“History has proven the light’s eternity. Mark Twain perhaps put it best: “If the statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one percent of the human race. It suggests a nebulous dim puff of star dust lost in the blaze of the Milky Way. Properly the Jew ought hardly to be heard of, but he is heard of, has always been heard of. He is as prominent on the planet as any other people, and his commercial importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk. His contributions to the world’s list of great names in literature, science, art, music, finance, medicine, and abstruse learning are also away out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers. He has made a marvellous fight in the world, in all the ages; and has done it with his hands tied behind him. He could be vain of himself, and be excused for it. The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed, and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other peoples have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished. The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?”

With Neriyah still fighting for his life as Yom Tov approached, Leiter concluded with a direct plea that the tefillos on his son’s behalf continue — and with the hope that by next Simchas Torah, Neriyah will once again be able to celebrate together with his family.

“Please continue to pray for Neriyah’s recovery, perhaps next Simchas Torah he will be able to rejoice together with his darling wife and children.”

{Matzav.com}

Israeli airlines have received approval to begin repatriation flights from Dubai following intensive overnight negotiations with the United Arab Emirates, clearing the way for Israelis stranded by the suspension of Flydubai service to begin returning home. The breakthrough came after hours of uncertainty over Emirati landing permits, although security arrangements continued to cause delays Friday and forced El Al to cancel its first two planned rescue flights.

The emergency airlift was organized after Flydubai suspended its Israel service in the wake of Wednesday’s dramatic incident aboard Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, when an Omani co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain and attempted to bring down the aircraft. The suspension disrupted travel for Israelis in the UAE as well as passengers returning from destinations across Asia and elsewhere through Dubai.

The effort to restore flights ran into a last-minute crisis when the UAE reconsidered authorization for Israeli carriers to operate the special flights. Overnight negotiations involving the Shin Bet, Israel’s Civil Aviation Authority, the Transportation Ministry and Israeli Ambassador to the UAE Yossi Shelley were held in an effort to resolve the dispute.

By Friday morning, the Transportation Ministry announced that an understanding had been reached.

“it was agreed that flights operated by Israeli airlines from Dubai to Israel would begin on Friday.”

Even with the diplomatic hurdle cleared, however, the ministry warned that the flights could not immediately begin operating on their original schedules because security arrangements still had to be finalized.

“Due to the need to complete the necessary preparations and coordination with security authorities for the operation of the flights, a delay is expected in the departure of repatriation flights from Dubai.”

The confusion was immediately evident in El Al’s schedule. The airline canceled two rescue flights that had been planned for Friday after its landing authorization was withdrawn. The aircraft had been scheduled to fly empty from Tel Aviv to Dubai and return with stranded passengers, with departures from Dubai originally planned for 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. local time.

El Al said it remained prepared to operate the flights once the required authorization was in place. With Shabbos approaching, however, the window for operating the originally planned Friday flights had effectively closed.

The airline is currently scheduled to operate additional Dubai flights on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday of next week, with the available seats already booked.

Demand was overwhelming as soon as El Al opened reservations. The airline said the tickets it placed on its website Thursday night sold out within five minutes. El Al priced its one-way Lite fare from Dubai to Tel Aviv at $249.

Arkia, meanwhile, said it had secured the necessary authorization and was moving ahead with its own rescue operation. The airline has been preparing to send empty aircraft to Dubai and return them to Israel carrying stranded passengers.

“Following extensive discussions and intensive efforts by all parties involved, Arkia has received the necessary approvals to operate flights from Dubai and will operate one flight today and another tomorrow,” the airline stated.

Arkia, which operates on Shabbos, opened ticket sales for the special flights, with fares beginning at $279 per passenger. The airline said it was also working to add more flights during the weekend.

It added: “At the same time, at the request of Transportation Minister Miri Regev, the company is working to operate three additional flights over the weekend, beyond those already scheduled, and is doing everything possible to make them happen.”

Under Arkia’s original schedule, its first rescue flight was due to leave Dubai at 7:10 p.m. local time Friday, while its final scheduled flight was set for Tuesday at 9:10 p.m. The airline cautioned that those times could still change depending on instructions from security and aviation authorities.

Israir is also joining the effort. The carrier has received Dubai airport approval for a rescue flight, although it held off selling tickets until all necessary authorizations were secured. A second rescue flight was also being prepared for later in the operation.

Israir initially planned two Friday flights from Dubai to Tel Aviv, with one-way fares of $299. Unlike Arkia and El Al, however, the airline decided not to immediately place the tickets on sale because of uncertainty surrounding the allocation of airport slots.

“Israir preferred to wait because the slot allocation process [the assignment of specific time windows for aircraft takeoffs and landings at airports] raised concerns, and the company’s management decided to hold off rather than open the flights for sale,” the airline stated.

Earlier, the company clarified: “Once there is certainty, the flights will go on sale.”

The latest plans call for Arkia and Israir to operate a combined five repatriation flights from the UAE on Shabbos, while El Al is expected to resume its own rescue operation afterward.

Israir is simultaneously preparing for the eventual restoration of regular service between Tel Aviv and Dubai in both directions. Its plans envision eight to ten weekly flights once all security and regulatory approvals are obtained.

The number of Israelis affected extends well beyond those physically stranded in Dubai. Finance Ministry estimates have put the number of Israelis seeking routes home at approximately 10,000 when travelers stranded farther east, including in Thailand and India, are included. Many had been relying on Dubai as their connecting point to Israel.

Other estimates place the number immediately stranded in the UAE itself at roughly 1,700 to 1,800, with the figure capable of growing rapidly for every day that Flydubai’s Israel service remains suspended.

Dubai had become one of the most important international gateways for Israeli travelers following the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and the UAE in 2020. Flydubai had been operating as many as eight to ten daily flights between Tel Aviv and Dubai, while its partnership with Emirates allowed Israeli passengers to connect through Dubai to destinations throughout Asia, Africa and elsewhere.

Israeli officials have also asked Etihad Airways to increase service between Abu Dhabi and Ben Gurion Airport in an effort to provide another route home while Flydubai’s Tel Aviv operation remains suspended.

The government has moved to help finance the extraordinary rescue operation as well. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich instructed ministry officials to provide the Transportation Ministry with the funding necessary for the flights, while the government agreed to compensate Israeli carriers for flying aircraft from Israel to Dubai without passengers before returning with stranded Israelis.

Passengers who secure seats on the rescue flights will face unusually strict baggage restrictions. Travelers will be allowed to board with only a small personal bag. Carry-on suitcases will not be permitted in the cabin, while regular checked luggage is to be transported separately to Israel aboard cargo flights and delivered to passengers afterward. The restrictions also apply to Arkia’s rescue operation.

The Transportation Ministry has urged Israelis remaining in Dubai to stay in direct contact with their airlines because schedules remain subject to rapid changes as security officials and aviation authorities finalize the arrangements.

{Matzav.com}