1,200 crew from hostile nations entered Israel this year

More than 1,200 foreign airline crew members from countries without diplomatic ties with Israel, including Syria, Lebanon, and Oman, have entered the country since the beginning of the year, according to a report Tuesday by Kan News. The figure emerged days after the attempted hijacking of a Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv, involving an Omani pilot, Imam Al-Hamami, who had previously raised concerns in his home country. Oman had flagged his radical ideology, removed him from flying, and placed him in an anti-extremism program, but this information was not passed on to relevant authorities. Al-Hamami was later hired by Flydubai, which relied on a criminal-record check without contacting Omani authorities, and he had flown to Israel several times before the incident. UAE authorities are investigating the airline's hiring process, while Israeli officials, including Transportation Minister Miri Regev, are debating responsibility for screening foreign flight crews.