Diverted commercial flight to Israel was not a hijacking incident, says Israeli PM's office

The diversion to Saudi Arabia of a commercial flight to Israel on Wednesday is not believed to be a hijacking incident, a spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister's office said.

The aircraft diverted to Saudi Arabia following a “violent” altercation between two pilots, sources told CNN.

The aircraft, travelling at an altitude of 34,000 feet, descended by about 17,400 feet to around 16,600 feet within two minutes at about 1:20am ET, according to flight-tracking data reviewed by CNN.

An emergency signal was transmitted from the aircraft at 1:32am ET.

The incident prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz to hold a security consultation.

Israeli fighter jets were also scrambled after the emergency signal was received, an Israel Defence Forces spokesperson told CNN.

The flight was expected to land in Saudi Arabia shortly, according to CNN.

This is a developing story and is being updated accordingly