Tel Aviv [Israel], October 2 (ANI): Former Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel warned that the recent Flydubai cockpit attack could have escalated into a "9/11 style" catastrophe in Tel Aviv, amplifying the initial statements from international leaders that suggested potential ties between the attacker co-pilot and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Speaking with ANI on the security implications of the in-flight assault, Haskel emphasised that indications pointed toward direct links with radical Iranian state actors.
"So, unfortunately, from what President Trump said and some of what Prime Minister Netanyahu has implicated, it looks like there might be ties to the IRGC, to the Iranian radical fanatical forces. And that is severe. This is extremely dangerous and this is something that has to be dealt with and has to be deterred to make sure something like that never happens again," Haskel stated.
Warning of the devastating scale of the averted disaster, Haskel noted that without the interventions inside the flight deck, the aircraft could have crashed into Israeli cities or populated infrastructure.
"This could have been a 9/11 here in Israel. If this airplane would have got any closer to Israel, try and imagine on what buildings or places this airplane could have crashed. Try to imagine if Captain Smith and those brave Israelis wouldn't have taken over this airplane, those passengers would have been dead, including 23 children. Can you imagine? Can you imagine what a disaster, what a tragedy that could have been?" she added.
Linking the attack to a broader regional surge in radical Islamist extremism over recent years, Haskel warned that extremist forces have grown increasingly emboldened, executing actions that inspire terror organisations globally.
"I truly emphasise how during those last three years, those radical forces of radical Islamists have raised and raised their head, and they felt the courage to go and execute terrorist actions that are further than any kind of imagination," Haskel explained, describing that the radical Islamists ideology involves targeting all non-Muslim populations, including Hindus, Jews and Christians.
"The values that they are fighting for is death and destruction... To kill all the infidels, anyone that is not Muslim and specifically Muslim by their determination or by their definition needs to be killed, executed, and wiped off the face of the earth. And that goes to Hindus, it goes to Jews, it goes to Christians, it goes to Kurdish, it goes to Alawites and Druze, and so many other minorities," she said.
Addressing the broader geopolitical dynamics, Haskel asserted that a weakened Iranian regime was seeking unconventional ways to regain regional influence and sabotage expanding diplomatic ties between Israel and Arab nations.
"In the last few months, Iran is losing a lot of its power. Iran has lost a lot of its influence... And so they are looking for very creative actions that might restore some of their power. That is why we have to try and receive as much intelligence as possible and to think outside of the box on what else those forces are capable of doing so that we can prevent those tragedies from happening," she noted.
When asked whether the in-flight assault was intended to disrupt regional normalisation agreements, Haskel affirmed that destroying Israel's partnerships in West Asia remained Tehran's primary goal, though she insisted the effort was failing.
"Oh, absolutely. The Iranians are looking for different ways in order to sever and destroy some of the ties that Israel has with countries in the Middle East. But it will not succeed. This was the goal and the aim on the 7th of October, and this is still until today the goal of the Iranian regime," Haskel stated, pointing out that Iranian aggression was instead driving regional nations closer to Israel to build mutual security reliance.
Confirming that Israeli agencies remained on high alert regarding the safety of their citizens abroad amid heightened regional threats, Haskel assured that security forces were taking all necessary measures to protect travellers.
"Absolutely. We are on alert and our fingers on the pulse to make sure that our civilians are safe and secure. And we will do everything in our capability to protect and defend them," she concluded.
As international investigations intensify into the mid-air security scare, Israel’s i24 News, based on an Emirati source, claimed that among the belongings of the Omani co-pilot were leaflets and publications from “Free Palestine” groups, alongside pro-Palestinian material.
According to i24 News, the pilot had repeatedly expressed support for the Palestinians and hostility towards Israel.
This is consistent with the broader investigation, which is examining the co-pilot’s Islamic radicalisation and possible terrorist motives.
Meanwhile, Jerusalem Post cited sources close to the investigation and reported that the Omani co-pilot did not hold any second nationality. Questions were raised about how a national without diplomatic relations with Israel was cleared to fly the route.
The identity of the flight's co-pilot has not yet been publicly disclosed, though an Omani official verified to CBS News that the assailant was born in Oman and possesses Omani citizenship, even though Muscat has not formally acknowledged his citizenship publicly. (ANI)
Radical Islamists fight for death and destruction: Former Israeli Dy FM Sharren Haskel on flydubai cockpit attack
