7 p.m. recap: Netanyahu seeks mastermind behind Flydubai incident; Washington sanctions 2 French nationals; Ben Gvir's 'I want to kill you' threat
If you didn't have time to follow today's news, we are back with what you need to know at the end of this Friday, following its 1 p.m. update.
by L'Orient Today staff · L'Orient TodayThe news of the day
Two days after the violent altercation that broke out in the cockpit of a plane flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Benjamin Netanyahu says that Israeli authorities are now looking to determine whether the co-pilot suspected of trying to cause a crash acted on orders. Flight 1073 was diverted Wednesday to Saudi Arabia after the co-pilot "stabbed the pilot and then took control of the aircraft," according to Israeli authorities.
Some Israeli passengers reportedly intervened to subdue and tie him up, allowing the crew to regain control of the plane. The passengers were later able to return to Israel on another plane. Since then, Israeli authorities have pointed to possible Islamist radicalization of the co-pilot, who is described as an Omani national. "We are investigating, as part of the probe, whether he was sent by someone," Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday, promising that any masterminds "will pay a heavy price."
Why it matters
In the context of the war that has engulfed the Middle East since late February, Israeli authorities regularly accuse Tehran of preparing attacks against Israel. The Flydubai incident could take on new significance if the investigation finds that the co-pilot suspected of attempting to crash the plane did not act alone. Benjamin Netanyahu's statement also comes amid a particularly sensitive political climate, as the prime minister has been making the threat of foreign attacks a major issue ahead of the legislative elections scheduled for Oct. 27 in Israel.
What to watch
The Mecca Pact faces its first test. Barely signed last August, the defense pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan is already facing its first test. Islamabad has announced an emergency meeting next week of the strategic committee created under the agreement, focusing on Houthi attacks against the kingdom. So far, Ankara and Islamabad have refrained from providing military support to Riyadh.
But the intensification of Houthi attacks and their advance toward the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait now places the alliance in a concrete position regarding implementing its mutual defense clause. According to Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, more than six other countries already wish to join the pact, but will have to wait until it is fully operational, which could take up to a year.
Washington blacklists French nationals accused of financing Hamas.The United States has imposed economic sanctions on two French nationals and the associations they founded, accusing them of collecting funds under the guise of humanitarian operations to transfer them to a leader of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas. According to the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, Faouzi Barika, of the Baraka association, and Amel Oualid, of the "Ensemble C Mieux" association, participated for several years in a scheme that collected more than $2 million for Hamas.
In other news
- 'I want to kill you': Ben Gvir sanctioned after threatening a prisoner. The Israeli Election Commission has fined Itamar Ben Gvir 20,000 shekels (about $6,500) for a video in which the national security minister threatens to "execute" a Palestinian detainee. The commission ruled that the sequence amounted to electoral propaganda made with public resources, in the midst of the campaign for the Oct. 27 legislative elections. A figure of Israel's far right and ally of Benjamin Netanyahu, Ben Gvir had declared in the video: "I want to kill you. I want to execute you," before claiming that he would move to execute Palestinian prisoners if he became defense minister.
- Joumblatt warns against an 'Oslo process' in Lebanon. In a post on X, Druze leader Walid Joumblatt said that Lebanon has entered a "negotiating to negotiate" cycle, in which the Lebanese delegation would face new demands at each session. He calls on Beirut to learn from the Oslo process launched in the 1990s between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), and to strengthen its coordination with Ramallah. Joumblatt reflects on the experience of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations to highlight the risk of seeing the situation on the ground change as discussions proceed. According to him, "diplomats observed that with each new round of negotiations, a part of the territory disappeared and its landscape changed."
- Tripoli landfill at full capacity. The public landfill in Tripoli has reached maximum capacity, but trucks continue to dump their loads there. The Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR) reports that unidentified individuals "began forcibly entering" the site Friday afternoon and dumping waste after the operating company halted intake. The CDR says it informed the relevant authorities "more than a year ago" that the landfill would reach saturation by the end of August.
We also invite you to revisit our 1 p.m. roundup
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