DOMINANT ANGLE
Belgrade is particularly holding onto the account of the passengers who subdued the aggressor in the cockpit, to the point of making Yaniv Hajun the hero of the episode, through the words of Netanyahou.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
According to N1 (citing the BBC), the plane lost around 17,000 feet (5,200 m) in less than two minutes before being diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
- 02
Passenger Yaniv Hajun claims to have pinned the attacker to the ground with other passengers, then seized the controls; Netanyahu called him a "hero".
- 03
Blic reports that both pilots were hospitalized, that Saudi authorities arrested one of them, and that Israel scrambled fighter jets.
ANALYSIS
Belgrade, October 1, 2026. Serbian media are focusing their coverage of the flydubai Dubai-Tel Aviv flight on the stories of the people on board, rather than the investigation. N1 Serbia and Blic are extensively reporting on the meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a passenger, Yaniv Hajun, which took place on Wednesday, September 30.
According to N1, citing the BBC, the plane lost approximately 17,000 feet (nearly 5,200 meters) in less than two minutes before being diverted to Saudi Arabia. Over Jordan, the crew first issued an emergency signal, and then, a few minutes later, a signal suggesting a possible illicit intervention. N1 notes that what exactly happened in the cockpit "is not yet fully clarified," with accounts relying on passenger testimony and Israeli media reports.
Netanyahu's version is reported with attribution: one of the pilots allegedly stabbed the other and, "by all appearances," attempted to crash the plane by trying to sabotage its systems. The pilot was arrested, he said, and a relief crew on board stabilized the plane, which landed in Tabouk. Blic adds that both pilots were hospitalized, that Saudi authorities arrested one of them, and that the passengers were then taken to Israel. Israel scrambled fighter jets out of fear of a hijacking.
Hajun's testimony occupies most of the space. He says he found one pilot on the ground and the other at the control panel, called on Israeli passengers for help, pinned the man on the ground, and then grabbed the controls and pulled the levers. He claims everything happened in a matter of seconds and attributes his reflex to a TV series about air crash investigations. Netanyahu called him a "hero"; Hajun, wearing a blood-stained t-shirt, replied, "We are a nation of lions, aren't we?"
Other passengers, including Almog Itali, describe the panic, a cry announcing that someone had been stabbed, and the intervention of crew members and passengers seated at the front. The articles provided do not address the suspension of flydubai flights to Israel or the diplomatic implications with Riyadh or Abu Dhabi.
SOURCES (2)
- N1 SerbiaMEDIUM
- Putnik ispričao kako su savladali napadača u avionu, premijer Izraela ga nazvao herojem (VIDEO)
- Drama na letu Flydubaija: Avion naglo gubio visinu, putnici tvrde da je došlo do napada nožem
- Netanjahu: Pilot uhapšen nakon što je izbo drugog pilota, navodno pokušao da sruši avion koji je leteo za Izrael
- BlicMEDIUM
