Saudi Arabia refuses Israel's request to retrieve passengers on military aircraft

A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was forced to land in Saudi Arabia after a co-pilot attempted to crash the plane by stabbing the pilot, an event that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as a thwarted attack. Israel subsequently sought permission for its military aircraft to retrieve the Israeli passengers from Saudi soil. Saudi Arabia's government media office declined the request, maintaining its policy of no diplomatic relations with Israel.

The Israeli air force had readied Super Hercules transport planes for the extraction, but the passengers were instead scheduled to resume travel on a flydubai service. The episode coincides with ongoing U.S. efforts, led by Donald Trump, to bring Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords, a move the kingdom has resisted without a clear path to Palestinian statehood. A senior Saudi official also rejected claims of a recent meeting between Saudi and Israeli officials.