Newly published video captured inside the aircraft shows security personnel approaching with drawn firearms shortly after landing in Israel. The flight was earlier erroneously reported as a hijacking, according to Israeli media.
New footage released Tuesday evening shows armed security personnel boarding the aircraft with drawn firearms shortly after landing in Israel. The video is the first visual documentation of the security response triggered by the false hijack alert that has been unfolding since Tuesday afternoon.
At 16:02 Jerusalem, The Zioneer first reported that an Israeli Air Force fighter jet scramble was underway toward a civilian airliner en route from Warsaw to Ben Gurion Airport that had been diverted to Cyprus. Subsequent versions, all published at 16:02 Jerusalem, identified the carrier as Bulgaria's Electra Airlines, the route as Warsaw to Tel Aviv, and the cause as a pilot mistakenly pressing a hijack alert button in the cockpit, which he immediately clarified was an error. The thread tracked the flight's diversion history: initially to Cyprus, then — after being denied landing there due to congestion — to Sofia, Bulgaria, with 180 passengers on board. Journalists Moriah Asraf, Doron Kadosh (N13 / Army Radio), and Dean Fisher were cited across the versions.
As The Zioneer reported earlier Tuesday evening, a separate incident involving an IDF fighter jet scramble after contact was lost with an aircraft over Israel was determined not to be a security incident. The footage now published provides the first visual confirmation of the on-ground security posture at the Israeli airport where the flight ultimately landed.
It remains unclear which specific airline operated the aircraft shown in the footage, the exact route it flew after departing Sofia, how many passengers were on board at landing, or whether any individuals were taken in for questioning. The Zioneer is working to independently verify the footage's timestamp and location.
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