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‘Sit Next to an Israeli’: Flydubai Attack Heroes Become Viral Sensation

Debbie Weiss

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Yaniv Hayoun, Or Fradilov, Dr. Shota Musayev, and his wife, Sigalit, who he described as “heroes” for intervening to prevent a disaster on a flydubai aircraft bound for Israel from the United Arab Emirates, which was diverted to Saudi Arabia following an emergency signal, in Jerusalem, Oct. 1, 2026. Photo: Amos Ben Gershon/Government Press Office/Handout via REUTERS

Two days after passengers and crew thwarted the attempted hijacking and crashing of a flydubai flight, the story was still dominating headlines in Israel and flooding social media with memes, jokes, and tributes to those who helped avert disaster.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Thursday he would recommend plumber Yaniv Hayun, Tzvika Manes, and Asaf Rajuan, who helped overpower the alleged attacker, and Shota Musayev, a dentist who treated the wounded captain, for the Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism, an honor established after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks for civilians who risk their lives to save others. Herzog also praised Manes’s wife, Tali, who first alerted the crew that something was wrong in the cockpit.

“The swift action of the passengers and crew averted a major disaster,” Herzog said.

One of the most widely shared visuals, with 1.6 million views on X, was a mock airline seating chart posted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s former spokesman David Keyes. Ordinary seats are gray or blue, while a scattering of blue Star-of-David icons are labeled “Special Seat,” under the caption: “New premium seating option lets you sit next to Israelis for extra security.”

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Netanyahu himself joined the lighter tone the next day. After meeting Hayun, still in the blood-stained Skechers T-shirt he had worn during the struggle, at the airport, the prime minister posted a screenshot of Hayun’s profile on the Israeli handyman-review app Midrag, showing a 9.93 rating from 107 reviews. The Hebrew caption translated as: “Yaniv Hayun is a hero who saved many lives. He can help you too, I highly recommend!”

In an interview with Fox News on Thursday, Netanyahu quipped: “I don’t know if you’ll be the next hijacked, but make sure an Israeli is sitting next to you.”

Human rights lawyer Arsen Ostrovsky shared an AI-generated video advising passengers: “In the unlikely event that your First Officer decides to crash the aircraft, locate your nearest Israeli and ask him to take over.”

Much of the humor drew directly on the improvised response aboard flydubai Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday. The flight’s Omani co-pilot allegedly attacked Indian captain Smit Machchhar with a knife in the cockpit and sent the aircraft into a steep dive.

Tali Manes was taking her young daughter to the bathroom near the front of the plane when she heard banging from the cockpit and alerted a flight attendant. She told Israel’s Channel 12 that, when the crew member did not initially react, she insisted something was wrong. After the cockpit door opened and she saw blood inside, she shouted to the other passengers: “He’s stabbing the pilot, he’s stabbing the pilot, come help!”

Hayun, Tzvika Manes, and Rajuan then helped overpower the co-pilot, while Musayev treated the badly wounded captain. Two off-duty pilots eventually took control of the aircraft and landed it in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

Hayun, 50, added another unlikely detail to the story when he said he knew how to help stabilize the aircraft because he watches “Air Crash Investigation,” the television documentary series that reconstructs aviation disasters.

“I watch all kinds of programs about plane crashes,” Hayun told Reuters, describing how he recognized what was happening and pulled back on the controls as the aircraft plunged.

US President Donald Trump recounted the story from the Oval Office after speaking with Netanyahu, marveling that “an Israeli plumber, never flew a plane” had helped level the aircraft. Trump said Netanyahu told him Hayun knew what to do because he watched the television program.

“I don’t know if it’s true, but that’s the story that I got from Bibi and from a couple of other people,” Trump said, using Netanyahu’s nickname.

Israel’s public KAN broadcaster noted that the executive producer of “Air Crash Investigation” had said he was “stunned” by Hayun’s resourcefulness and invited the plumber to visit the show’s set.
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Details of how the passengers subdued the alleged attacker also traveled widely. In an interview clip posted by TV host Dr. Phil, Hayun recounted putting the man in a chokehold and then using wired headphones to bind him. Dr. Phil asked Hayun whether he had ever been in a fight before, to which the plumber replied: “I was a crazy kid in kindergarten.”
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Hayun has also said the subdued co-pilot repeatedly shouted “Kill me” in English after realizing the attempt had failed.

Another AI-generated video included lyrics: “They were expecting a snack bar, instead got allahu akbar,” and “wrong plane, wrong crowd, he totally misjudged those on the flight.”

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Another widely shared post riffed on familiar complaints about flights packed with Israeli travelers, from passengers crowding the aisle as soon as the plane lands to children roaming the cabin and groups of observant Jewish men gathering for prayers.

“I owe every flight full of Israelis an apology. Yes, having everyone standing in the aisle immediately upon landing is stressful. Yes, the rogue babies crawling up and down the corridor is a lot. Yes, blocking the bathroom for minyan is inconvenient,” the post read. “But when things go sideways?????? Give me 150 Israelis and Jews on that plane. I want the doctors, pilots, engineers, Mossad agents, and at least three people who are suspiciously calm because ‘hakol beseder I’ve handled worse!!!’,” the post continued, using the Hebrew phrase for “everything’s fine.”

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