DUBAI (Dispatches) -- A 
flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv carrying 150 passengers, including 100 Israeli settlers, made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after a violent altercation between the pilots triggered a hijacking alert, according to Israeli officials and flight tracking data.
Flight FZ1073 transmitted emergency code 7700, indicating a general emergency, before briefly switching to 7500, the internationally recognized code for unlawful interference or a possible hijacking, during the incident.
The alert prompted Israeli authorities to scramble fighter jets, with terrorist prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu convening an emergency security session and closing airspace over the occupied territories. The aircraft subsequently diverted to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely.
Israeli officials later determined the emergency signal had been triggered by a dispute between the two pilots. Reports described the confrontation as a violent altercation in the cockpit, with the aircraft changing course and the emergency code being activated during the incident.
The UAE and Israel have maintained formal diplomatic relations since September 15, 2020, when they signed the so-called Abraham Accords. The relationship has expanded into trade, investment, tourism, technology and transport. 
The UAE’s Foreign Ministry reported that bilateral merchandise trade reached $3.209 billion in 2025. Cumulative merchandise trade between the two regimes reached about $14.53 billion between September 2020 and May 2026, while passenger traffic between them reached approximately 1.53 million in 2025, according to official figures.
During the U.S.-Israeli aggression against Iran, Israel deployed an Iron Dome air-defense battery and dozens of troops to the UAE to help protect U.S. and Israeli assets from Iranian missile and drone attacks.
The political relationship was on display again on Sunday, when Netanyahu traveled to Abu Dhabi and met UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The UAE’s official Emirates News Agency said the two discussed “bilateral relations and ways to strengthen and develop them.”
The visit came only days after Netanyahu’s September 24 address to the United Nations General Assembly, during which 77 delegations walked out of the hall. The UAE delegation was among those that remained in the chamber during Netanyahu’s address.
The latest Netanyahu visit has drawn additional attention because it followed reports that Sheikh Mohamed had warned Netanyahu before October 7, 2023 about the possibility of a major operation by Palestinian resistance movement Hamas.