Israel was preparing to shoot down aircraft if hijacked:Sent fighter jets to prevent 9/11-style attack; was also ready to negotiate with hijackers

Israel had prepared to shoot down a hijacked aircraft that had taken off from Dubai. Fighter jets were scrambled as soon as the hijacking alert was received. The aircraft was carrying 174 passengers. According to a report by The Times of Israel, the government feared that if control of the aircraft was not regained, it could reach Israel and carry out an attack like the 9/11 attacks. To avert the threat, the aircraft might have had to be shot down in mid-air. Israel’s ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, said that if the situation had not been brought under control, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might have had to decide on taking action. However, the aircraft’s crew regained control and it was safely landed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. What are the rules for shooting down a hijacked plane? 1. First, an attempt is made to land the plane safely. According to Article 3 bis of the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) Chicago Convention, if an aircraft is suspected of being hijacked, security agencies first attempt to contact the aircraft and secure its safe landing. Fighter aircraft may also be sent in pursuit if necessary. 2. Can the plane be shot down if it is hijacked? Just because a plane has been hijacked doesn’t grant permission to shoot it down. The severity of the threat and the circumstances must be considered in each case. The lives of the passengers and crew on board are also at stake. 3. What does international law say? The Chicago Convention states that weapons should not be used against civilian aircraft in flight. Interceptions must take into account the safety of passengers and crew. 4. What if the plane is about to hit the building? If there is a risk that the aircraft could be used to attack a building or a crowd, the situation becomes extremely serious. Security agencies consider options to prevent it. However, the decision to shoot down an aircraft is not automatically justified or legal. It depends on the circumstances at the time and applicable laws. Israel was also prepared to negotiate with the hijackers Israel had also prepared for the possibility that the hijackers might hold passengers hostage aboard the aircraft and put forward their demands. To deal with such a situation, Israel’s national counter-terrorism and hostage-rescue unit, Yamam, was put on alert. The plan was that if the hijackers made any demands in exchange for releasing the passengers, the special unit would take charge of negotiating with them and safely rescuing the hostages. Israel would have sent commandos if the aircraft had gone down in another country Israel had also prepared for a situation in which the hijacked aircraft crashed in Jordan or Saudi Arabia instead. In such an eventuality, a plan was made to send Shaldag, the Israeli Air Force’s special commando unit, to rescue the passengers and crew trapped aboard the aircraft. The same unit took part in the operation to rescue two US aircrew members after an American F-15E Strike Eagle crashed in Iran in April. Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the 9/11 attacks Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the 9/11 attacks in the United States on 11 September 2001. Nineteen terrorists from the terrorist organisation al-Qaeda hijacked four passenger aircraft. Two of the aircraft were crashed into the towers of the World Trade Centre in New York, while another was crashed into the headquarters of the US Department of Defence, the Pentagon. The fourth aircraft crashed in a field after the passengers resisted. ​