Netanyahu calls Captain Smit Machchhar ‘hero of the world’, invites him and PM Modi to Israel’s Independence Dayਨੇਤਨਯਾਹੂ ਨੇ ਕਪਤਾਨ ਸਮਿਤ ਮਛਛਰ ਨੂੰ ‘ਦੁਨੀਆ ਦਾ ਹੀਰੋ’ ਕਿਹਾ, ਉਸ ਨੂੰ ਅਤੇ ਪੀਐਮ ਮੋਦੀ ਨੂੰ ਇਜ਼ਰਾਈਲ ਦੇ ਸੁਤੰਤਰਤਾ ਦਿਵਸ ਤੇ ਸੱਦਿਆ

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone on Saturday with Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot of FlyDubai flight FZ1073 who fought off a mid-air attack inside the cockpit on September 30, calling him “a hero of Israel, a hero of India and a hero of the entire world.”

During the call, a video of which was released by the Israeli Prime Minister’s office, Netanyahu invited Machchhar — and Prime Minister Narendra Modi — to light the ceremonial flame at Israel’s next Independence Day ceremony, an honour usually reserved for Israeli citizens.

“Captain, I want to invite you and my dear friend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to light a celebratory flame on our next Independence Day. You are a true hero of the brave peoples of India and Israel, and you’re a hero of the entire world,” Netanyahu told the captain, according to the IANS news agency.

An honour usually reserved for Israelis

Netanyahu told Machchhar the torch-lighting was “our highest honour that we give on our Independence Day. It’s usually reserved for Israeli citizens. But I think here in this case, all the citizens of Israel will embrace you. They do now and they will then too.”

He said he was “amazed at your courage, at your coolness of judgment under impossible conditions,” calling Machchhar’s actions remarkable and bordering on the miraculous. “You saved so many souls,” he said. “You saved the spirit of the world to realise that a brave pilot and brave passengers can overcome this evil, however threatening, however violent.”

Netanyahu wished the pilot “a very speedy and complete recovery” and passed on his family’s regards to Machchhar’s family. “We hope to see you very soon in Israel,” he said, adding that the visit would be “memorable and historic.”

Machchhar recounts the cockpit attack

Machchhar, who is recovering in a hospital in the UAE, told Netanyahu how the attack unfolded. The co-pilot had asked for time to pray — something the captain described as normal practice — then suddenly struck him from behind. Despite serious head injuries, Machchhar managed to pull open the cockpit door, letting passengers and crew rush in and restrain the attacker.

The UAE Attorney-General has described the incident as an attempted “terrorist act,” saying the co-pilot attacked the captain with a crash axe and tried to seize the aircraft’s controls. The Dubai–Tel Aviv flight, carrying 174 people, lost thousands of feet in under a minute before the crew regained control and diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia.

Netanyahu said the attacker had undergone Islamist radicalisation and intended to crash the aircraft with everyone aboard. “We are investigating whether he was sent, and whoever sent him will pay a very heavy price,” he said on Friday.

Tributes from Modi and Dubai’s Crown Prince

The call caps a week of tributes for the pilot. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Machchhar by video call earlier in the week, praising his courage and presence of mind. On Saturday, Dubai’s Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum visited the injured pilot in hospital.

Who is Captain Smit Machchhar?

Captain Smit Machchhar is the Indian pilot of FlyDubai flight FZ1073. On September 30, he fought off a mid-air attack by his co-pilot inside the cockpit and, despite serious head injuries, opened the cockpit door so that passengers and crew could restrain the attacker. The aircraft, carrying 174 people from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was diverted safely to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia.

What did Benjamin Netanyahu invite him to?

Netanyahu invited Machchhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to light the ceremonial flame at Israel’s next Independence Day ceremony — the country’s highest Independence Day honour, normally reserved for Israeli citizens. He called the pilot “a hero of Israel, a hero of India and a hero of the entire world.”

What happened on FlyDubai flight FZ1073?

On September 30, the co-pilot of FlyDubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv attacked Captain Machchhar inside the cockpit. The UAE Attorney-General described it as an attempted “terrorist act,” saying the co-pilot used a crash axe and tried to take the flight controls. Machchhar opened the cockpit door despite his injuries, passengers and crew subdued the attacker, and the aircraft diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. All 174 people on board survived.