CBS News reported that Israel was prepared to shoot down a FlyDubai plane after its captain was attacked, citing two Israeli sources with direct knowledge. [S1]
Verification result: unverified insufficient evidence, because only CBS provides original reporting for the shoot-down-readiness claim; Economic Times and Roya News explicitly repeat CBS's account. [S1][S4][S5]
According to CBS, the Israeli Air Force tried to contact the cockpit after a 14,000-foot plunge, fighter jets were scrambled and Israeli airspace was closed, then the jets were recalled when the plane turned toward Saudi Arabia about 400 miles from Israel. [S1]
CBS's sources also said protocol allows a rogue flight approaching Israel to be shot down, but only the prime minister could authorize that decision. [S1]
ABC and BBC independently support the underlying account that the co-pilot attacked the captain, passengers intervened and the flight landed in Saudi Arabia. [S2][S3]
ABC and BBC also reported that the alleged attacker intended to crash into Ben Gurion Airport, with BBC noting reports of a possible Tel Aviv tower-block target. [S2][S3]
No validated contradiction rebuts the central claim, but reports differ on the aircraft's descent: CBS says 14,000 feet and Economic Times says more than 17,000 feet. [S1][S4]
The incident occurred on Sept. 30, and CBS's shoot-down-readiness report followed on Oct. 5. [S1][S3]
Because investigations were still ongoing and the original shoot-down-readiness report relied on unnamed Israeli sources, the central claim lacks independent confirmation in the supplied record. [S1][S2][S3]
