The Flydubai flight was diverted to Saudi Arabia after a struggle in the cockpit in what the Israeli PM called "a most serious security incident."

Here's the latest

• Hijacking attempt: A pilot on the Israel-bound Flydubai flight diverted to Saudi Arabia stabbed the other pilot and appears to have tried to crash the plane, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. He said passengers and crew subdued the assailant, who has been arrested.

• Passenger’s fear: The incident caused the aircraft, traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, to plummet 17,400 feet in less than two minutes, flight tracking data shows. One passenger told Israeli media there were moments she believed she was going to die.

• Repatriation flight: Most of the stranded passengers are now boarding a replacement Flydubai plane to return home, relatives said. Saudi Arabia earlier rejected an Israeli request to send a military or civilian plane to bring passengers home.

Israeli officials commend actions of passengers on Flydubai plane

A number of Israeli officials have taken to social media to react to today’s events surrounding Flydubai flight FZ1073, which was flying from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv in Israel, before a suspected attempted hijacking.

Many commended the bravery of those on board the plane:

• Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz called the incident on the plane “an attempted jihadist terror attack” that was “thwarted only thanks to the heroism of a number of Israeli passengers.” He did not give any evidence regarding his claim that the attempted attack was a jihadist one.
• Yair Golan, the leader of the left-wing Democrats party, said he was filled with pride “for the brave Israelis who, in a moment of danger, displayed extraordinary resourcefulness and courage” on board the plane.

• Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right Minister of National Security, thanked the “heroic passengers” on the plane, but said that “Israel’s security doctrine must be taken to the next level!”
• Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that his country “must relate to the intention and not to the results,” adding that the perpetrator of the attack “must pay as if he murdered. He and any state or terrorist organization that sent him.” No potential motivation for the attempted hijacking has yet been given by any authorities.

• Israel’s former defense minister Benny Gantz said that while not all details from this morning’s incident are yet known, “it is already clear that Israelis are a rare breed. The resourcefulness and courage displayed by the passengers—in the face of clear mortal danger—are precisely the things our people are made of.”

• Danny Danon, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, said that the “Israeli passengers on today’s flight from Dubai showed extraordinary determination and resourcefulness, helping prevent a major disaster.”

Relatives of stranded passengers tell CNN most are boarding a new Flydubai flight home

Family members waiting for passengers from the diverted Flydubai flight at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv have told CNN most have now boarded a substitute Flydubai plane that was sent to Tabuk airport to pick them up.

However, they said some three families have refused to board the new flight and are insisting on flying home only with an Israeli air carrier.

Israel was exploring the possibility of sending either a military or civilian plane to Saudi Arabia to bring home passengers, but Riyadh has refused to allow Israeli planes to collect them, an Israeli official told CNN. Saudi Arabia has no diplomatic relations with Israel.

What we know — and don't know — about suspected attempted hijacking of Flydubai flight

By Catherine Nicholls

One of the pilots of the Israel-bound Flydubai flight FZ1073 stabbed the other pilot and appears to have tried to crash the plane, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a short while ago.

Here’s what we know, and don’t know, about the incident so far:

What we know

• When this happened: The plane issued a distress call at 8:31 a.m. local time this morning (1:31 a.m. ET), according to publicly available data. Minutes later, the flight squawked code 7500, which signals an aircraft hijacking. “During the flight as they approached the country, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot,” Netanyahu said.
• Where the plane was diverted: The incident caused the aircraft, traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, to plummet 17,400 feet in less than two minutes, flight tracking data shows. It was then diverted to Saudi Arabia.
• Some details on the attack: After stabbing his colleague, the pilot carrying out the attack seemed to be attempting to sabotage the aircraft’s systems and trying to crash it, according to passengers, Netanyahu said.
• Some details on the attacker: The attempted hijacker of the aircraft was its co-pilot, Israeli officials have said. One official told CNN that the co-pilot was an Omani national.
• Some details on those injured: Both the captain and co-pilot of the plane were injured and taken to hospital, Saudi Arabia’s leading aviation operator said.
• Where passengers are now: Though Israel was exploring the possibility of sending either a military or civilian plane to Saudi Arabia to bring home passengers, Riyadh has refused to allow Israeli planes to collect them, an Israeli official told CNN. Saudi Arabia has no diplomatic relations with Israel.

What we don’t know

• Who the attacker was: The identity of the attacker has not yet been shared by authorities.
• How the attack took place: Details of any weapon used to attack the captain has not been shared. How the attacker was able to bring this weapon onto the plane, and exactly how the attack took place, is also currently unknown.
• What the motive was: No potential motivation for the attempted hijacking has yet been given by any authorities.

• How many people were on board: The exact number of people who were on the aircraft has not been shared. Though Flydubai said that all passengers are safe and accounted for, it is unknown if any were injured in this morning’s events. Netanyahu said that “almost all” of the passengers on the flight were Israelis.

CNN’s Tal Shalev, Jeremy Diamond, Ivana Kottasová, Becky Pinnington, Eyad Kourdi, Sophie Tanno, Kim Kelaita and Billy Stockwell contributed to this reporting.