Netanyahu, UAE President plotted flydubai false flag op: Iran's big charge

Iran has accused Netanyahu and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed of orchestrating the Flydubai cockpit incident as a "false flag" operation to strengthen Netanyahu politically and create a pretext for a renewed military confrontation with Iran.Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abbas Araghchi, Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo: Reuters)New Delhi,Oct 2, 2026 11:09 ISTIran has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of orchestrating what it described as a “false flag” scenario around the Flydubai cockpit incident.The allegations made in a Press TV report claimed that the episode was intended to divert attention from the October 7 Hamas operation, strengthen Netanyahu’s political position and create a pretext for renewed confrontation with Iran. A false flag is an act staged or misrepresented to make it appear that someone else is responsible, often to shift blame or justify a response.The allegations come after several handles on social media labelled the flydubai flight incident a false flag operation, with thousands of posts accusing Israel, the Mossad, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of staging the cockpit attack to influence elections, distract from domestic issues, or provoke regional tensions. The report said that the Flydubai plane incident “appears to have been part of a scenario concocted” by Netanyahu and bin Zayed.The Flydubai flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, transmitted emergency signals on Wednesday and made a sharp descent of more than 17,000 feet from 34,000 feet before diverting to Prince Sultan Bin Abdel Aziz Airport in Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk city.The flight was carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children.According to the report, the alleged objective was to divert attention from the growing controversy over Netanyahu’s handling of the October 7 Hamas operation, shore up his position ahead of Israel’s October 27 election and create a pretext for a new confrontation with Iran.The report linked the scenario to Netanyahu’s reported secret visit to Abu Dhabi, a day before the flydubai incident, where he met bin Zayed amid mounting political pressure over claims that the UAE leader had warned him in advance about an impending Hamas operation.IRAN ALLEGES NETANYAHU PLOT TO RENEW WARAccording to the Press TV account, the alleged arrangement was designed to manufacture a dramatic security incident involving an Israeli-heavy Flydubai flight, portray it as a terrorist attack, introduce an Iranian connection into the narrative and use the resulting alarm to reinforce Netanyahu’s security credentials and build support for renewed military action against Tehran.The report said that Netanyahu and his war minister, Israel Katz, immediately characterised the incident as a “terrorist” attack. Netanyahu subsequently compared the incident to the September 11 attacks, claimed that the Omani co-pilot had undergone “radical indoctrination” and suggested that Iran could have been involved.ISRAEL DENIES PLOT, CALLS CLAIMS ANTI-SEMITICThe Israeli embassy in Australia has condemned conspiracy theories circulating online about the flydubai attack, saying they have “recast” Jewish people as the culprits. In a statement, the embassy said it “condemns the anti-Semitic ‘false flag’ conspiracy theories” accusing Israel of staging the attack.IRAN COULD HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN ATTACK: TRUMPUS President Donald Trump on Thursday said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) “could have been” responsible for the bloody cockpit attack aboard Flydubai flight 1073 as authorities continued to investigate the incident.Asked by Fox News’ Peter Doocy whether he had been briefed on a possible connection between Iran and the Omani co-pilot accused of stabbing the pilot, Trump said, “We’re working on it. Right now they’re being very open with us. I would say the answer based on what I’m hearing is yes.”Trump also said on Thursday that Iran would be struck “very hard” if it was found to be linked to the co-pilot who tried to crash the Flydubai flight bound for Israel.- Ends