Israeli leaders have hailed Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar as a ‘true hero’ for stopping a cockpit attack on flydubai Flight 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30.

The co-pilot, an Omani national, stabbed Machchhar and tried to crash the aircraft, according to Israeli officials. Despite serious injuries, the captain fought back, opened the cockpit door, and helped passengers and crew overpower the attacker. The plane made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

‘Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back… preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster,’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on X. He said Machchhar saved 174 lives.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry called him a hero, and UN ambassador Danny Danon wrote, ‘Captain Machchhar, you’re a true hero.’ Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana said Israel is praying for him.

The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia says Machchhar is stable in hospital in Tabuk. Reuters reports the Mumbai native studied textiles, worked at SpiceJet for over a decade, joined flydubai in 2022, and has logged about 9,750 flying hours.