Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Yaniv Hayun, the man who intervened in an in-flight stabbing incident, upon his arrival at Ben Gurion airport in a video posted on X by the Government Press Office (GPO) of Israel on Thursday (October 1).

"You are a hero," Netanyahu told Yaniv, still wearing his blood-stained clothes he had on during the flight.

The co-pilot of a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv tried to crash the plane after stabbing the pilot, but passengers subdued him while other pilots landed the plane safely in Saudi Arabia, Israeli officials said on Wednesday (September 30).

“This could have been another 9/11,” said Netanyahu, who referenced the series of coordinated attacks using commercial aircraft on September 11, 2001, against the United States.

The airline said in a statement that the underlying reasons for the event remained unknown and warned against "premature speculation". The cause of the altercation between the pilots was not clear.

The co-pilot, whom an Israeli official identified as an Omani national, was arrested after the plane landed. Israel's Transport Ministry said there would be a joint investigation of the incident with the defence establishment.

(Production: Tanvi Mehta; Editing and Writing: Mark Ho)

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

1. (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) PASSENGER WHO INTERVENED IN FLYDUBAI FLIGHT INCIDENT, YANIV HAYUN, SAYING:

"I requested several times a change of clothes for this meeting"

ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER, BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, SAYING: “This is the respect, you are the respect, you are a hero, how did you do this.”

YANIV HAYUN: “We are a nation of lions, no?”

NETANYAHU: “Exactly so.”

2. WHITE FLASH

3. (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER, BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, SAYING:

“Listen, you are amazing, amazing.”

YANIV HAYUN: “Thank you, thank you.’’

NETANYAHU: “Is this the family?”

YANIV HAYUN: “My wife Maytal, Noa, my daughter, and Amit.”

NETANYAHU: “Do you have more?”

YANIV HAYUN: “Yes, I have more at home, they are not here, they are at home.”

4. (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) PASSENGER WHO INTERVENED IN FLYDUBAI FLIGHT INCIDENT, YANIV HAYUN, SAYING:

“I ran towards the cockpit and then there was a very sharp drop nose-down movement, which threw me towards the area where the flight attendants stood by the cockpit, I flew to the side.”

5. FAMILY MEMBERS AND FLIGHT PASSENGERS LOOKING

6. (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) PASSENGER WHO INTERVENED IN FLYDUBAI FLIGHT INCIDENT, YANIV HAYUN, SAYING:

“The pilots were in their seats, one was down and one was on the instruments, and another person came in with me, I grabbed the attacker and put him in a chokehold, and pulled him out.”

7. FAMILY MEMBERS AND PASSENGERS OVERLAYED WITH (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) PASSENGER WHO INTERVENED IN FLYDUBAI FLIGHT INCIDENT, YANIV HAYUN, SAYING:

“I started to pull the lever.”

8. (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU:

“You pulled on the levers?”

YANIV HAYUN: “Yes.”

NETANYAHU: To the back?

YANIV HAYUN: “Yes, I watched Mayday, Mr. Prime Minister. The plane started to stabilise a little bit and the pilot then told me that he can take control from here.”

9. PASSENGERS AND FAMILY MEMBERS

10. (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU:

“Amazing, this could have been another 9/11.”

YANIV HAYUN: “It was, it was, I think this was the aim, straight forward, I tell you, I was there, anyone who did not experience this, or who was not with us on the plane cannot understand.”

11. PASSENGERS AND FAMILY MEMBER (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) UNIDENTIFIED MAN WITH PASSENGERS, SAYING:

“The electricity went off, all the screens were turned off, even the oxygen sacs that are supposed to drop from the top did not, we have to thank this guy.”

12. CHILD LOOKING

13. NETANYAHU AND YANIV OVERLAID WITH (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) UNIDENTIFIED MAN WITH PASSENGERS, SAYING:

“He saved all the family, he saved the people of Israel, all those who were on the plane.”

14. WOMAN NODDING

15. (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU:

“I simply said that a salute is not enough, it’s not enough, he deserves a global medal of honor.”

16. PASSENGERS AND FAMILY MEMBERS

17. (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) PASSENGER WHO INTERVENED IN FLYDUBAI FLIGHT INCIDENT, YANIV HAYUN, SAYING:

“I told them that you were involved in the incident and that you talked to me and that you instructed the crew on what to do in order to bring us back home safely, and on what we needed and what not, a few times, and so I say, thank you, thanks to a prime minister who goes into the very small details, (NETANYAHU): “First of all, this is the least we can do, you did the major part.”

18. WHITE FLASH

19. (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU:

“To our joy, this was a Sukkot holiday miracle.”