UAE-Israel flight survives suspected hijacking

A flydubai flight from the UAE to Israel made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, after an altercation between the pilots led to the plane plunging more than 14,000 feet before climbing sharply. The Dubai-based budget carrier, sister airline of Emirates, said the aircraft had “experienced an incident while en route,” without disclosing details.

Israel said it was treating the event as a potential terror attack based on suspicions one of the pilots may have intentionally tried to crash the plane, according to Haaretz. The aircraft issued a general distress call before switching to a code signaling a hijacking. The plane landed in Tabuk, in northwestern Saudi Arabia, where the pilot and co-pilot were hospitalized. All passengers on board are reportedly safe.