Dubai-Tel Aviv flight diversion was not a hijacking incident, says Israeli PM's office

A flight bound for Israel from Dubai diverted to Saudi Arabia after transmitting emergency signals due to a fight between the pilots rather than a hijacking, an Israeli official said on Wednesday.

Flight FZ1073 from Dubai diverted over Jordanian airspace towards Saudi Arabia, transmitting a general emergency signal before transmitting another emergency signal that indicates a possible unlawful interference several minutes later, according to flight tracking website Flightradar24.

The Boeing 737 plane then again transmitted the general emergency signal before landing at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia, the website said.

The incident was not believed to have been a hijacking, the Israeli prime minister's office said.

An Israeli official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the pilots had transmitted the emergency signals after getting into a physical altercation with each other.

It was not immediately clear if either pilot had intentionally transmitted the signal. Israeli fighter jets were also scrambled after the emergency signal was received, an Israel Defence Forces spokesperson 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.

Three Israeli security officials earlier told Reuters that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held consultations over the flight. Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir also held a "situational assessment" with the commander of the air force and other military officials, Israel's military said in a statement.

This is a developing story and is being updated accordingly