Saudi Arabia turned down multiple requests by Israel to send its own planes to retrieve passengers from a diverted flydubai flight, a Saudi source with knowledge of the matter told. 'They asked to send military warplanes. Two or three direct to Tabuk airport,' the source said. 'Then asked to send El Al commercial one. Turned down as well.' The source also said the message was communicated through the UAE and not directly with the Israelis.
The comments come a day after a plane heading to Tel Aviv from Dubai was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, after one of the pilots allegedly tried to crash the plane and kill everyone onboard. The Saudi source said the kingdom fulfilled its 'international obligation' and assisted the passengers of the flight after they made the emergency landing, emphasising that the nationality of the travellers had no impact on their decision. 'We were to act the same way, regardless of the nationalities of flydubai passengers,' the source added.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has resisted pressure to join the US-backed Abraham Accords and establish diplomatic ties with Israel. Riyadh has maintained that it will not normalise relations with Israel without a clear path to Palestinian statehood. The United Arab Emirates' chief prosecutor on Thursday said an investigation had been launched into the incident on board a flydubai flight to Israel, including the possibility of 'terrorist activity or intent'.
Israel alleged on Wednesday that the co-pilot of the flight had tried to crash the aircraft but that the pilot and passengers intervened and averted the crash. Airline flydubai said all of the passengers - of whom 166 out of 174 were Israeli, according to media reports - were safe. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US broadcaster Fox News it was 'too early' to say who was behind the altercation and lauded those who prevented a crash.