Benjamin Netanyahu says Iran backs "the terrorist organisations it funds" ahead of Israel election

According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesperson David Mencer, two days before a flight incident involving a Flydubai plane, Netanyahu warned the public that Iran and the armed factions receiving its money were seeking to interfere with Israel’s election. Mencer said the Wednesday episode involved an Omani pilot attacking Indian pilot Smit Machchhar and trying to damage the plane’s controls; an Israeli passenger and a crew member intervened, and the flight ended safely. Mencer compared the event to the Sept. 11 attacks and said it was too early to say whether Hamas, Hezbollah, or Iran was connected. The Omani pilot was being questioned by Saudi authorities and was to be transferred to the UAE, while Israel and the UAE suspended flights for six days during the investigation. Israel’s election was 27 days away and security was heightened, Mencer said.