Australian authorities investigating FlyDubai’s Omani co-pilot and other Middle East developments

Australian authorities have launched an investigation into a Co-pilot of Omani FlyDubai stay in Australia after being arrested for an alleged attempt to seize a A plane bound for Israel and it crashes.

At the same time, Pakistan and Turkey agreed to take immediate steps to deploy military forces to Saudi Arabia under their new joint defense agreement, and a Israeli A university professor has been accused of plotting to target hundreds of Arabs in mass attacks.

Here is the latest news from the Middle East this Monday. Full coverage is available here.

Australia, New Zealand investigate FlyDubai co-pilot’s time there

Australian security agencies are investigating the Omani pilot’s stay in Australia about a decade ago, the Australian Federal Police said.

The FlyDubai pilot is in police custody in the United Arab Emirates after he allegedly attempted to take control of the Israel-bound plane.

A police statement released on Monday said a joint counter-terrorism team, comprising federal and state police and Australia’s domestic intelligence agency, was “investigating the man’s links to Australia”.

New Zealand police also said the co-pilot had spent time in New Zealand and authorities would investigate.

Pakistan and Turkey agree to send forces to Saudi Arabia

The foreign and defense ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey agreed on Monday to take immediate steps to deploy military forces in Saudi Arabia under their leadership. common defense pactaccording to a joint statement issued by the Pakistani Foreign Ministry following an emergency meeting in Riyadh.

The deal comes as Yemen’s internationally recognized government, backed by Saudi Arabia, announced a major military operation against Iran-backed Houthi rebels as they advance on the outskirts of a key city.

The three countries will immediately implement their collective defense commitments and provide military forces and capabilities to “ensure their rapid deployment in the Kingdom” and respect each country’s arrangements and laws, according to the statement.

The statement does not specify the number of troops, identify the countries that will provide forces or give a deployment timetable.

The three countries condemned what they described as attempted attacks on Mecca and Medina, as well as continued attacks on Saudi cities and civilian and economic installations. The statement did not identify the person responsible.

Houthis claim responsibility for attacks on Saudi Arabia

The Houthis said they attacked oil installations, airports and military bases in Saudi Arabia on Monday as fighting intensified on Yemen’s west coast.

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, said in a pre-recorded statement that the rebels used ballistic and cruise missiles and drones in the attacks. He did not provide evidence.

Houthi attacks targeted King Khalid International Airport in the capital, Riyadh, and an oil refinery in the Red Sea town of Rabigh, it said. Abha airport, the Khamis Mushait military installations and other “critical sites” in the towns of Najran and Jizan were also targeted, he said.

Israeli university professor charged with plot to kill hundreds of Arabs

An Israeli university professor has been charged with plotting to carry out mass attacks targeting hundreds of Arabs in Israel, annexed East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, according to an indictment filed in Israel on Monday.

The accused, a mathematics professor at Bar-Ilan University, hoped to trigger a mass exodus of Palestinians to neighboring Arab countries, the indictment says.

The accused planned to divide 72 Jewish attackers into 12 “terrorist squads,” armed with guns, axes and hammers. They would launch “massive acts of terrorism in mixed cities and Arab communities across Israel,” the indictment says.

The indictment describes how the man, whose name has not been released but is aged in his 60s, attempted to recruit former security officials, journalists and academics who he believed would align with his plan.

Bar-Ilan University said it was “deeply dismayed” by the allegations against the professor and announced it was suspending him immediately.

One dead, two injured in ram attack in West Bank

Israeli soldiers opened fire on three Palestinians in a vehicle that the army said rammed into a military vehicle in the south of the occupied territory. West Bank. The Palestinian Authority confirmed that the army killed one person and injured two others.

The military said the vehicle was driving in a “suspicious” manner and had been speeding before the collision. He did not identify the Palestinians or provide additional details, saying no Israeli soldiers were injured in the alleged attack.

The Palestinian Authority said it had not identified the Palestinians killed and that the Israeli army had prevented the Palestinian Red Crescent from reaching the injured.

Oil tanker hit by projectile in Strait of Hormuz

An oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz was hit by an “unknown projectile” on Monday, causing a fire in the engine room, the British military said.

The crew fought the fire, without causing any casualties or environmental impact. Authorities were investigating and there was no immediate claim of responsibility, according to the UK’s Maritime Trade Operations Centre.

The center also reported that an unidentified tanker in the strait was ordered by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to turn around or face attack and that two tankers and a liquefied tanker were hit by “unknown projectiles” over the weekend. No casualties have been reported.

U.S. efforts to guide oil tankers through the strait at night, along with pipelines that run along the strait, have allowed Gulf countries to export oil near pre-war levels.

But overall maritime traffic remains well below prewar levels, as do shipments of liquefied natural gas and petroleum products.

Iran executes two for violence during anti-government protest

Iran hangs two men for violence anti-government protests in January in the central city of Isfahan, which left four police officers dead, according to the Mizan judicial news agency.

Mizan identified the men as Alireza Sepahi and Alireza Raisi. The report said a group of attackers used guns, knives, axes, firebombs and other incendiary materials to attack police, vandalize property and burn buildings and public facilities during the January 8 unrest.

Mizan cited witnesses as saying that Sepahi and his cousin, Abolfazl Sepahi, attacked police officers and that Alireza Sepahi poured gasoline on a police officer and set him on fire while he was still alive.

Abolfazl Sepahi was executed on July 28.

Iran has carried out several other executions linked to the January unrest.

Human rights groups have criticized the executions of protesters, saying the convictions were often obtained through unfair trials.

World Food Program member released in Yemen

The World Food Program on Monday celebrated the release of one of its employees who had been detained at Yemen.

The individual was among dozens of Yemeni workers working for aid groups, United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations who have been detained over the past two years by the Houthis in the rebel-controlled northern part of the country.

In response to Houthi restrictions and harassment, the WFP ended its operations in the region earlier this year. The move has only worsened dire humanitarian conditions in the poor Arab country, amid an already growing funding crunch.

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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.