Saudi Arabia 'turned down' Israel’s request to send warplanes to retrieve passengers

Saudi Arabia rejected multiple Israeli requests to send aircraft to retrieve passengers from a diverted flydubai flight, according to a Saudi source familiar with the matter.

The source told AFP on Thursday that Israel first requested military aircraft to fly to Tabuk airport, where the plane had made an emergency landing. Saudi Arabia rejected the request, the source said.

Israel then requested that an El Al commercial aircraft be allowed to collect the passengers, but Saudi Arabia also declined that request, according to the source.

The source said the requests were communicated through the United Arab Emirates rather than directly between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

The comments followed an incident in which a flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia. The plane made an emergency landing after one of its pilots allegedly attempted to crash the aircraft, according to the report.

The Saudi source said the kingdom assisted the passengers in line with its international obligations, stressing that their nationalities did not affect the decision.

Saudi Arabia has not established diplomatic relations with Israel and has previously said it would require a clear path towards Palestinian statehood before normalising ties.

The kingdom has been viewed as a potential participant in the US-backed Abraham Accords, although efforts towards normalisation have faced setbacks.