US President Donald Trump warned on Thursday that Iran will be “hit very hard” if it is found to be linked to a pilot’s attack on a flydubai flight to Israel.
The dramatic events a day earlier saw passengers help stop the plane from crashing, making an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia before the flight’s mostly Israeli passengers were flown home to a hero’s welcome.
Trump’s warning came as the United Arab Emirates opened an investigation into whether the incident was linked to terrorism and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the suspect had undergone “Islamist radical indoctrination”.
“I would say the answer, based on what I’m hearing, is yes but we’re working on it right now,” Trump told reporters Thursday when asked at the White House whether Iran was involved in what happened on the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
On whether the United States would retaliate against Iran if it was found responsible, Trump replied: “Oh, they’ll be hit very hard, don’t worry.”
Trump’s threat coincided with a wider US military buildup in the region.
Axios reported that Washington had recently deployed additional Patriot missile batteries to Saudi Arabia and Qatar to help protect key energy facilities from possible Iranian retaliation.
The US news outlet also reported that the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier and its strike group were heading to the Middle East, where they could join two other US carrier strike groups already in the region.
As speculation swirled about a possible motive, the UAE and Saudi Arabia began to piece together the events in the cabin.
Saudi Arabia said the co-pilot was transferred to the UAE on Thursday accompanied by an “Emirati security team”, adding that its initial investigation showed he had attacked the aircraft’s captain.
The alleged assault triggered a struggle for control of the aircraft before an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. Passengers were later flown to Israel on a replacement flight.
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