Israel at War: Week 156
Today marks the third year since the Hamas attack of Israel on October 7, 2023. Last week an Omani pilot, Hamam al-Hammami, attacked flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar in the cockpit intending to commandeer the plane and crash it into Ben Gurion Airport and kill all the passengers on board, the majority of whom were Israeli. Machchhar, though under attack from Hammami, managed to open the cockpit door allowing several Israelis to enter the cockpit and subdue Hammami. Two off duty pilots took control of the plane and safely landed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia at the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Airport. Prime Minister Netanyahu publicly recognized the courage of Captain Smit Machchhar in maintaining presence of mind in getting help to restore the plane and stop Hammami. The plane had descended 14,000 feet in 30 seconds. “UAE officials have called the incident an attempted terrorist attack.”
To call the terminated attack a miracle is not an overstatement. Out of 174 passengers and six crew, there were no fatalities, six passengers were injured, that all passengers and crew survived, the plane was landed safely and the attacker was taken into custody after the landing. “The incident is under investigation from law enforcement agencies from Australia, Israel, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United States.”
(Source: timesofisrael.com)
