The Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially addressed the severe security incident aboard flydubai Flight FZ1073 on Wednesday evening. At the direction of Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, the Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Eden Bar Tal, held an urgent briefing for all Israeli ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions worldwide, providing an up-to-date operational assessment to Israeli representatives abroad.
During the briefing, a resolute message was articulated on behalf of the State of Israel: “This was an attempted terror attack directed against Israeli citizens, the United Arab Emirates, and the Abraham Accords. Terror will not undermine the strong bilateral relations between Israel and the UAE, nor will it derail regional developments.” The ministry reiterated that the regional strategic partnership will persist uncompromisingly, despite hostile attempts to disrupt it.
The Foreign Ministry noted that from the moment initial reports of the mid-air crisis surfaced on Wednesday morning, the diplomatic apparatus served as a vital anchor in nationwide efforts to secure the safe repatriation of the airliner’s passengers. Relevant operational divisions domestically and overseas diplomatic missions were mobilized immediately, while the MFA Situation Room in Jerusalem sustained uninterrupted communication with passengers’ families inside a designated crisis center.
Simultaneously with operations in Jerusalem, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates maintained continuous direct contact with the passengers during their emergency layover in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The ambassador coordinated logistics and diplomacy to expedite boarding onto the relief flight, working closely with regional authorities until all citizens landed safely in Israel.