US President Donald Trump issued a stern warning on Thursday that Iran will be "hit very hard" should investigators establish a connection between Tehran and a pilot's violent assault aboard a flydubai flight bound for Israel.

The warning comes in the wake of dramatic high-altitude events a day earlier, during which quick-acting passengers and crew intervened to prevent a catastrophic crash.

The aircraft made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia before its mostly Israeli passengers were safely transported home to a hero's welcome.

Addressing reporters at the White House on Thursday, President Trump responded to inquiries regarding potential Iranian involvement in the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight by stating, "I would say the answer, based on what I'm hearing, is yes but we're working on it right now."

Pressed on whether the United States would initiate military retaliation against Tehran if responsibility is confirmed, Trump warned, "Oh, they'll be hit very hard, don't worry."

Trump's forceful rhetoric coincided with a broader expansion of the US military footprint across the Middle East.

News outlet Axios reported that Washington recently deployed additional Patriot missile batteries to Saudi Arabia and Qatar to fortify vital energy infrastructure against potential Iranian strikes.

Axios further disclosed that the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt and its accompanying strike group are en route to the region, potentially joining two other American carrier strike groups already stationed there.

The United Arab Emirates has formally opened an investigation into whether the incident involved terrorist motives, with UAE Chief Prosecutor officials confirming that investigators will explore if there had been "terrorist activity or intent."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel will participate in the UAE-led probe and identified the co-pilot as an Omani national.

Netanyahu raised security clearance questions during an interview on the "Fox & Friends" television show, noting, "We have constraints that say that you can't have pilots from countries that don't have diplomatic relations with Israel. Obviously he was able to go through that."

Discussing the suspect's background, Netanyahu asserted on Fox & Friends, "We know that he underwent Islamist radical indoctrination," adding, "The attacker, he calls out to the aircrew, 'Kill me, kill me'," which Netanyahu noted made it "clear he was suicidal."

While Israeli officials have characterized the event as "an attempted terrorist attack," Netanyahu did not rule out underlying psychological factors during an earlier CBS News interview, having noted in a video message that "during the flight, as they approached the country, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot, and apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board."

Reconstructing the incident, Saudi Arabia reported that the co-pilot was transferred to the UAE on Thursday under the escort of an "Emirati security team," adding that initial findings show he attacked the aircraft's captain.

According to tracking data from Flightradar24, the sudden mid-air struggle caused the aircraft to plunge nearly 17,000 feet in under a minute over Jordan.

Passenger Miryam Shira Ohayon described the aircraft as "pretty much out of control," telling reporters that "the co-pilot tried to murder the pilot and basically carry out a suicide attack on the plane."

She emphasized that the aircraft "was really on the way to crashing, and it was simply the resourcefulness of many people who took control of the co-pilot and neutralised him."

Flydubai confirmed that another "on-duty flydubai crew traveling on the flight... landed the aircraft safely" in Saudi Arabia and announced a temporary suspension of its flight operations to Israel pending the outcome of the investigation.

In the aftermath, leaders praised the heroic actions that averted disaster. Prime Minister Netanyahu commended the captain, Indian national Smit Machchhar, "for his extraordinary bravery" after Machchhar suffered knife wounds while fighting off the co-pilot.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed Captain Machchhar as a "HERO" whose decisive courage saved lives, while the Indian ambassador to the UAE visited Machchhar in the hospital, where the embassy reported he was in "good health and recovering well."

Concurrently, Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced plans to formally honor five Israeli passengers who rushed the cockpit to overpower and neutralize the co-pilot.

Source: AFP