FlyDubai emergency landing sparks Israel hijack scare amid wider regional flare-ups
Concerns over a possible hijacking briefly gripped Israel on Wednesday after an Israel-bound FlyDubai flight from the United Arab Emirates made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. On the same day, the Lebanese army said an explosion in southern Lebanon wounded a soldier and three civilians, Iran executed two men over violence during anti-government protests earlier this year, and the United States said its last troops had left Iraq.
The developments came amid continuing tensions across the region. Israeli authorities said all passengers on the diverted flight were safe, Lebanon said the blast happened while the army was escorting residents back to visit their homes, Iran said the two men had been convicted over unrest in Mashhad, and Washington described the troop pullout from Iraq as an "orderly departure".
A fight broke out between the pilot and co-pilot on the FlyDubai plane, forcing it to land at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in the Saudi city of Tabuk, according to reports. The episode prompted Israel to scramble warplanes amid fears of a possible hijacking of a plane carrying dozens of Israelis. FlyDubai confirmed that an incident led to the diversion. An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the matter was under investigation, said all passengers were safe but there was suspicion that there may have been an attempt to attack Israelis on the plane.
In southern Lebanon, the Lebanese army said a soldier was seriously wounded in an explosion in the village of Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa, and three civilians were also hurt. The army initially said the soldier's vehicle had been hit by an Israeli strike, but later said the blast was caused by a "suspicious object". It said its personnel had been escorting residents of the area to visit their houses. Lebanon and Israel reached an agreement in June under which Israeli forces were to withdraw gradually from southern Lebanon and the Lebanese army was to take control in exchange for the disarming of Hezbollah, but implementation of the deal has stalled.
In Iran, state media reported that two men were executed on Wednesday over what authorities said was their role in violence during nationwide anti-government protests in January. IRNA, citing the judiciary, said the men took part in unrest in the north-eastern city of Mashhad in which four security officers were killed. The judiciary said the men had confessed to violence, including setting fires and damaging public property, and said one of them had confessed to stabbing a member of Iran's paramilitary force. Iran's Supreme Court upheld the sentences before they were carried out on Wednesday morning. The unrest began on December 28 amid anger over Iran's collapsing currency and worsening economy, and spread across the country with demonstrators increasingly calling for the overthrow of the ruling clerical system. Iranian authorities responded with a deadly crackdown. State media said dozens of Iranians have since been executed in connection with the protests. Rights groups say such accused are often tried in secretive courts on the basis of forced confessions extracted through torture.
The US military said on Wednesday that it had completed the withdrawal of its troops from Iraq, ending what it described as a 12-year mission to fight the Islamic State group. The withdrawal took place under a Washington-Baghdad deal reached two years ago. Baghdad presented the move as a sign of the country's growing strength and sovereignty. Iran-backed groups also welcomed it, while some other Iraqis, especially in the Kurdish region, were concerned. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the withdrawal was an "orderly departure" and that it "marks a transition from a wartime coalition mission to an Iraqi-led security effort supported by a more normal bilateral security relationship".
From the emergency landing of the FlyDubai plane to the blast in southern Lebanon, the executions in Iran and the departure of US troops from Iraq, Wednesday saw a series of security and political developments across the Middle East.
