UAE staged a new provocation against Israel
The UAE accused Israel of delaying the resumption of air travel after the Flydubai incident, calling Israel's actions politically motivated ahead of the elections. The Emirati side also expressed dissatisfaction with the term "rescue flights" and rejected attempts to link the incident to Iran. Israeli airlines began sending planes to Dubai to bring citizens back.
The UAE accused Israel of delaying the resumption of air travel after the Flydubai incident, in which the Omani co-pilot was suspected of attempting to steer the plane into the ground. A source close to the UAE authorities stated that Israel's actions are politically motivated ahead of the elections, not security-related. The Emirati side also expressed dissatisfaction with Israel's use of the term "rescue flights," as there is no emergency in the UAE. Additionally, Abu Dhabi considers attempts to link the incident to Iran as premature. Israeli airlines Arkia and Israir began sending planes to Dubai to bring back citizens stranded in the UAE. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier stated that the investigation is checking whether the co-pilot acted on the instructions of a third party and warned that if external direction is confirmed, those responsible will pay a heavy price. The UAE officially called the incident a terrorist act.