Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid on Wednesday accused the government of playing "cheap politics" at the expense of Israel's security following the scare involving a Flydubai passenger plane.
Lapid rejected attempts to link the incident to a security briefing he received from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday evening.
"Let me make this clear. Nothing even resembling this morning's plane incident appeared in the security briefing with the prime minister last night. Nothing similar, nothing reminiscent of it, not even a hint," he said on the US social media company X.
Lapid accused government-aligned voices of trying to use the incident for political purposes.
"All the spin the mouthpieces are doing now only proves what was already clear yesterday -- that they are once again trying to make cheap politics at the expense of Israel's security," he said, adding: "An irresponsible bunch."
Lapid's remarks came a day after Netanyahu provided him with a security briefing amid the prime minister's warning of an unspecified possible attack on Israel ahead of the Oct. 27 election.
After the meeting, Lapid said there is "no reason to put the public in a panic" and that security threats should be handled "professionally and responsibly."
The dispute followed Wednesday's emergency involving Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, which transmitted emergency and unlawful-interference codes before diverting and landing safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Israeli fighter jets were scrambled during the incident.
Israeli authorities initially investigated the possibility of a hijacking or security incident, while subsequent reports pointed to an altercation in the cockpit.
Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk said in a statement that both the aircraft captain and first officer were injured and transferred to a hospital for necessary medical care.
