Netanyahu invites hero Flydubai pilot to light Israel Independence Day torch

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has invited the Indian pilot who helped save a Tel Aviv-bound passenger plane from disaster to light a torch at Israel’s next Independence Day celebrations.

Captain Smit Machchhar was personally offered the honour during a phone call with Netanyahu on Saturday, days after he was seriously injured in an attack by his co-pilot aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073.

Netanyahu also invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to join him.

“Captain, I want to invite you and my dear friend Prime Minister Narendra Modi to light a celebratory flame on our next Independence Day,” Netanyahu told Machchhar in a video of the call released by his office.

“You are a true hero of the brave peoples of India and Israel,” he added. “And you are a hero of the entire world.”

Netanyahu described lighting a torch during the annual ceremony as Israel’s “highest honour” and said he hoped to welcome Machchhar to the country under “memorable and historic” circumstances.

The invitation does not guarantee Machchhar or Modi a place in the ceremony. Torch lighters are chosen through an official selection process involving a public advisory committee and ministerial approval.

The call came as new details emerged about Wednesday’s attack on the Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.

The United Arab Emirates’ prosecutor general, Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, said the co-pilot asked to take a break to pray.

Minutes later, Machchhar was repeatedly struck from behind.

Despite being seriously injured, the Indian captain managed to open the cockpit door as the aircraft rapidly lost altitude, allowing passengers and crew to enter and overpower his attacker.

Two reserve Flydubai pilots travelling on the aircraft then took control and landed safely at Tabuk airport in north-western Saudi Arabia.

Netanyahu told Machchhar during Saturday’s call that he was a “true hero” and wished him “a very speedy and complete recovery”.

The alleged attacker has been widely identified in international media as Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, although his identity has not been officially confirmed.

Netanyahu has previously said the man appeared to have undergone “Islamist radical indoctrination”. UAE authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances and motive behind the attack.

Australian authorities are also examining the suspect’s links to the country after it emerged that he studied there between 2015 and 2017.

He later completed an aviation management degree by distance learning at Buckinghamshire New University in the UK, graduating in 2023. The university has said he did not undergo pilot training there.

Machchhar, meanwhile, is continuing his recovery in the UAE after initially receiving treatment in Saudi Arabia.

The captain has been praised by both Netanyahu and Modi for his actions, which helped save the predominantly Israeli passengers aboard the aircraft.