False aircraft identification triggers alarm in northern Israel
The Israel Defence Forces clarified that a suspected hostile aircraft intrusion over Zar'it and Shomera was a mistake.
An alert regarding a suspected hostile aircraft intrusion along the border with Lebanon caused alarm in northern Israel, according to the Times of India. The warning was sounded over the areas of Zar'it and Shomera.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) later issued a statement confirming that the alert resulted from a false identification, as reported by The Jerusalem Post.
The incident follows an attempted hijacking of flydubai Flight FZ1073 on September 30. On that flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Omani co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami attacked Indian captain Smit Machchhar and tried to take control of the plane.
Captain Machchhar, who was injured, managed to unlock the cockpit door. Passengers, crew, and two off-duty flydubai pilots intervened to overpower the co-pilot before the aircraft landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Following that incident, Israel implemented stricter screening for airlines. Carriers must now provide crew details 48 hours before departure, with further updates required up to two hours before flight and a final list provided at the time of departure.
In a separate development, the IDF said on Thursday that troops from the 188th Brigade found more than 340 Hezbollah weapons in the Beaufort Ridge and Litani River areas of southern Lebanon. The recovered items included RPG rockets, anti-tank missiles, mortar shells, firearms, explosives, and ammunition.
