Flydubai incident: Omani pilot suspected of stabbing Captain Smit Machchhar; what are Oman-Israel ties?

The Omani national suspected of stabbing Indian Captain Smit Machchhar and attempting to crash a Flydubai flight carrying 174 passengers from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday has raised questions over how he was cleared to operate an Israel-bound flight, given that Oman and Israel do not have formal diplomatic relations.

An Israeli official told The Times of Israel that the co-pilot had posted content on social media about killing Jews and had asked Emirati crew members to kill him during the incident. The official said the suspect appeared to have been radicalised into jihadist ideology, while stressing that the investigation was still ongoing.

“This was a person who was willing to commit suicide,” the official told The Times of Israel. “His social media accounts [say] clearly that he has been radicalised into jihadist ideology. He talks about killing Jews.”

Quick answers to key questions

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QUESTIONS

The Omani co-pilot's presence on the Israel-bound flight raised concerns as Flydubai's agreement to operate in Israel requires pilots from countries that have normalized relations with Israel, and Oman is not among those countries.

Oman and Israel do not have formal diplomatic relations, although they have engaged in dialogue since 1993.

Israeli authorities, along with UAE and Saudi Arabia officials, are investigating the security aspects of the incident and examining whether there were indications of an attack prior to the flight.

Pilots operating flights into Israel are required to hold passports from countries that have diplomatic relations with Israel, according to agreements reported by Israeli media.

The motive remains unclear, but investigators are exploring various scenarios including terrorism and mental health issues, amidst allegations of the co-pilot's radicalization.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu separately alleged the attacker had undergone radical Islamist indoctrination, while cautioning that it was too early to establish whether he had any links to Iran.

Why is the Omani pilot's presence on the flight being questioned?

The incident has prompted scrutiny of the security procedures that allowed an Omani national to serve as co-pilot on a Tel Aviv-bound flight.

According to The Jerusalem Post, Flydubai's agreement to operate flights in Israel explicitly requires pilots to be from countries that have normalised relations with Israel. Oman is reportedly not among those countries.

“This is a clear breach of the agreement,” a source cited by the Post said, adding that the Shin Bet should examine how the pilot was permitted to operate the flight.

The Post also reported that the Mossad, Shin Bet, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Transport Ministry have opened a joint investigation. The probe is examining whether there were any indications of an attack before the flight and how an Omani pilot was cleared to operate the aircraft.

Flydubai has said that the circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation and has declined to comment further.

Do Oman and Israel have diplomatic relations?

No. Israel's Foreign Ministry lists Oman among the countries with which it does not have diplomatic relations.

However, the absence of formal diplomatic ties has not meant that there have been no contacts between the two countries.

Oman established diplomatic dialogue with Israel in 1993 and hosted former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1994. More than two decades later, Netanyahu made a surprise visit to Muscat in October 2018, where he met Sultan Qaboos bin Said. Netanyahu's office said at the time that the visit followed lengthy contacts between the two countries.

Did Oman join the Abraham Accords?

No. Oman did not establish diplomatic relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords.

The 2020 agreements established or advanced normalisation between Israel and countries including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, while Oman remained outside the accords.

The distinction is significant in the Flydubai case because the UAE, unlike Oman, established diplomatic relations with Israel in 2020. The Flydubai aircraft involved in Wednesday's incident was operating from Dubai, the UAE's main aviation hub, to Tel Aviv.

What are Oman and Israel's travel ties?

There is no standard visa-free travel arrangement between Oman and Israel. Israel's official visa information lists Oman among countries whose nationals require a visa for entry.

This is different from the UAE-Israel relationship, which has included direct flights and expanded travel links since their 2020 normalisation agreement.

Why does Oman maintain contact with Israel and Iran?

Oman's foreign policy has traditionally emphasised dialogue, mediation and maintaining channels with different regional actors.

Oman's Foreign Ministry says the country established diplomatic dialogue with Israel in 1993, while also highlighting its longstanding role in facilitating dialogue involving Iran. Oman played a role in efforts that helped facilitate the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement and has maintained close diplomatic engagement with Tehran.

That approach remains visible in 2026. Oman's Foreign Ministry has continued high-level engagement with Iran, including talks on regional security and diplomacy. In January, Omani and Iranian officials discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation and using dialogue and diplomacy to address regional differences.

In June, Oman and Iran also reaffirmed cooperation on the Strait of Hormuz and maintaining dialogue over navigation and regional stability.

Flydubai incident investigation

Meanwhile, Israeli authorities are investigating the security aspects of the case, while the UAE and Saudi Arabia are also involved in examining the incident. The underlying motive and circumstances remain subject to formal investigation, and Flydubai has cautioned against premature speculation.

About the Author

Garvit Bhirani is a journalist based in Gurugram. He is a Deputy Chief Content Producer at LiveMint, where he covers national and international news stories, focusing on accuracy and compelling storytelling for readers. <br><br> With a total of six years of experience in journalism, he has previously worked with Vaco Binary Semantics for Google, taking on the role of news curation lead, and reported from the field on health, education, and agriculture stories for 101reporters and News9. He has also served as a content editor for entertainment and news media organisations. <br><br> Garvit holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism and mass communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and Gurugram University, respectively. During college days, he joined India’s only non-profit student journalism network, where he anchored daily news updates and produced his own weekly show called ‘Data Fix’. <br><br> He was selected for the YES Foundation Media for Social Change Fellowship in Delhi, the Talking Data to the Fourth Pillar residential workshop, and the VOICE Fellowship in Pune. <br><br> He holds certificates in COVID-19-verification reporting, data journalism, food & agriculture, tech policy, media literacy and countering misinformation, and tackling election disinformation courses from Thomson Foundation, IndiaSpend, The Dialogue, US Mission in India, and AFP. <br><br> He can be reached on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/garvit-bhirani">LinkedIn</a> or on <a href="https://x.com/GarvitBhirani">@garvitbhirani</a> on X

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