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Isa Soares Tonight

Passengers Arrive in Israel After Violent Incident on Plane; Trump Announces U.S. Military Withdrawal from Iraq; Students Block Schools Ahead of New Budget. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired September 30, 2026 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[14:00:00]

ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, back safe and sound. Relief at Israel's

Ben Gurion Airport as passengers of a diverted Flydubai plane disembarked following a violent incident.

Then British Prime Minister Andy Burnham now says there are strong indications Iran was involved in an incident at a military base used by

U.S. bombers. We'll bring you the very latest on that. And fresh questions over what law enforcement knew at the time of an alleged gang rape at

Cornell University back in 2024. We'll have that and much more ahead for you.

We do begin this hour with chance, as well as cheers of relief as airline passengers who survived an apparent attempted hijacking have now landed at

Israel's international airport near Tel Aviv. A replacement plane flew them from Saudi Arabia just a short time ago where the original Flydubai flight

was diverted.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the co-pilot on that flight tried to crash the plane after stabbing the pilot, and he described it as a

highly severe security incident, and said Saudi authorities are interrogating the suspect.

Now, the plane, just to give you a sense, was traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv when it abruptly plunged thousands of meters and had to switch course,

triggering panic as well as confusion in the cabin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Harrowing there. Well, passengers there desperately trying to figure out what was happening. Flydubai confirms there was an altercation

in the cockpit, but said the motives are unknown. Earlier today, it urged everyone to refrain from what it called premature speculation, while

authorities investigate. Prime Minister Netanyahu says it received information firsthand.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER, ISRAEL (through translator): I spoke with one of the Israeli passengers. He told me that the plane entered a

tailspin and began to dive. He told me that against all odds, he managed to break into the cockpit along with one of the crew members, and together

they neutralized the stabbing pilot while he was trying to sabotage the plane's systems.

Additional flight crew on board entered the cockpit and managed to stabilize the aircraft. I salute those heroes who showed exceptional

resourcefulness and courage. They saved many lives. They prevented a heavy disaster.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Let's get more from our Jeremy Diamond, who joins us now, as you can see there from Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. And Jeremy, just a

harrowing experience for so many of those passengers on board.

At this hour, there are many questions that we do not have answers to. Speak to us what the very latest is, because we don't know about this

dispute. We don't know any information about the pilots so far. And more importantly, the motive. Bring us up to date with the very latest here.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, I've been gathering a lot more information as the passengers from that Flydubai

flight have been landing here at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport. I've spoken with passengers who described the harrowing moments when that plane

suddenly began to spin out of control before diving some 14,000 feet in 37 seconds.

They said that it was like the worst roller-coaster ride they've ever been on, and also that they felt that they might die in that moment. No one on

board immediately knew what exactly was happening. But then what many people saw, they described to me seeing heroes, Israelis, passengers on

this plane rushing towards the cockpit, and I was able to speak with one of those heroes tonight.

His name is Ossoff Rejwan(ph), he is one of the Israelis who helped to subdue this pilot who attacked the other pilot, who stabbed him, apparently

inside of the cockpit.

[14:05:00]

Ossoff(ph) and several other passengers as well as Flydubai crew members, managed to take down this assailant. It was not exactly clear how they

managed to get into this cockpit, but Ossoff(ph) described it as an existential moment, a to be or not to be moment when he and others decided

to act in this case, and then kept this pilot subdued, he said for 55 minutes until they were able to land safely on the ground in Saudi Arabia.

SOARES: Yes --

DIAMOND: I also spoke with one of the -- a dentist, a physician who treated these two pilots on the ground. Both of the pilots were injured

after this attack ensued. He described multiple wounds on the bodies of the captain.

And he said that they then tried to film everything to keep, you know, both of them in stable condition. He described the condition of one of the

pilots as serious but not critical. We know that then we've seen this video that shows both of those pilots on the floor of that airplane, one of them

with an oxygen mask to his face that appears to be based off of the description in the video, to be the captain of the plane who was attacked.

Ultimately, we know, according to Saudi authorities, that both men were taken to hospital in Saudi Arabia. Many questions still remain about

exactly what the motivations were of the pilot who attacked his fellow pilot inside of that cockpit.

Whether or not this was a terrorist incident, Israeli authorities are investigating it as such at this time. But so many questions still

unanswered. And again, the people who were on that flight who got off tonight, just grateful to be back home.

SOARES: Oh, I bet. And I just want to pick on something you said, Jeremy, you said they subdued the pilot for 55 minutes. I mean, that is staggering.

Do you know from the conversations you've had from those who were on board, what the weapon was that caused all this blood that we are seeing all over,

of course, our TVs with this video that we've been sharing.

DIAMOND: We've heard it described as a knife so far, but we haven't gotten firsthand confirmation of that. That was one of the questions I asked the

dentist who helped to treat these two men as they were on the ground.

He said that they looked for a knife, but that he did not personally see one. But again, there were clearly stab wounds here. One of the rescuers,

that man Ossoff(ph), who helped to subdue the pilot, he had a cut on his forehead, a minor wound he described.

But much more serious wounds to the captain of that plane, whose actions are also still yet unknown. But clearly, some heroism on his part as well.

SOARES: Yes, heroism from so many, of course, on board that plane. Glad to be home, to be on the ground, safe and sound. Jeremy, thank you very much

indeed. Let's stick with this story, we're joined now by terrorism expert Sajjan Gohel.

He's international security director at the Asia Pacific Foundation. Sajjan, I don't know, first of all, good to see you by the way. I don't

know whether you were able to hear our correspondent there at the airport in Tel Aviv. What did you make of what we've got so far?

I mean, he was just saying that they were able to subdue the pilot for 55 minutes. That one of those inside the plane said they thought he had a

knife. Your thoughts?

SAJJAN GOHEL, INTERNATIONAL SECURITY DIRECTOR, ASIA PACIFIC FOUNDATION: Good to talk to you, Isa. What makes this remarkable is the convergence of

two previous, at least, separate aviation security problems. You've got the insider threat inside the cockpit and the geopolitical risk outside the

aircraft.

And crucially, the motive has not been established. But the wider concern potentially is that what was that pilot doing in his private life, his

social media activity? What is it that triggered today's event? Because this is going to have ramifications for airline and airport security, even

though it may have come from Dubai and heading to Israel, it's going to have knock-on effects across airports and airlines around the world.

SOARES: Yes, indeed. Look, one of the -- from what we understand so far, and important to point out, there is a lot we do not know at the moment,

there's even investigation gets underway. We know that one of the pilots of this Flydubai flight was Omani.

Can you -- I mean, we know that Oman doesn't have diplomatic relations with Israel. I mean, does it surprise you that he was flying a plane that was

bound for Israel? Would that be normal? Just speak to that.

GOHEL: Sure. So, the Omani pilot is not necessarily as uncharacteristic as it may sound. An Omani pilot working for Flydubai is operating as an

employee of UAE Airline and under the airline of United Arab Emirates operating approvals are taking place.

[14:10:00]

And the airline itself has an established Dubai-Tel Aviv service because Israel and the UAE have diplomatic and civil aviation relations. So, the

pilot's nationality doesn't normally determine where the aircraft can fly from the UAE.

But we've already found that Israel has now taken greater scrutiny about the nationality of pilots that may come, and also pilots undergo

background, medical and psychological screening. But clearly, something here has been missed and that will have to require greater scrutiny and

evaluation.

SOARES: Right, so if -- let's talk about the investigation and talk us through what you think investigators, Sajjan, will be looking for here.

Because I was listening to our transportation analyst, Mary Schiavo early on our air saying, look, Israel has long been kind of a gold standard for

onboard security.

So, what would be the vetting process, a screening process -- we know as passengers what we go through, right? How does it apply to pilots?

GOHEL: Well, pilots are meant to go through enormous different tests to evaluate whether they can fly their mental health, even when it comes to

issues like, are they sober? Have they been drinking overnight? But sometimes what you find is that there are individuals that go through

personal crises.

In the case of what's happened with this flight and where it was going to, we can't ignore the geopolitical dynamic of it because things are, of

course --

SOARES: Indeed --

GOHEL: Very tense. I guess it's circling back to what we were discussing at the beginning, which is a trusted individual already inside the cockpit

was the security concern. And we know that aviation security since 9/11, overwhelmingly concentrated on stopping dangerous passengers getting into

the cockpit.

This time, the threat was coming from somebody already authorized to operate the aircraft. And of course, that raises new challenges and new

concerns.

SOARES: Yes, it will be interesting to see what changes we will see following on from this, once we have a clearer image of what unfolded here.

Not clear at this moment who opened that cockpit door. But of course, we saw so many changes following 9/11 to our security, airplane security.

We shall see what happens once we have a clearer picture of what unfolded here. Sajjan Gohel, great to see you, Sajjan, really appreciate it. Thank

you very much indeed. We'll return to the story in about 20 minutes or so once we have more developments.

As you saw, our correspondent keeping across the very latest for you in Tel Aviv. I do want to bring you up-to-date though with the latest developments

in the alleged plot against the British Air Force base. If you remember, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham saying today, there are now, quote,

"strong indications that Iran was involved in the alleged plot at RAF Fairford, which has been used by the U.S. in its operations against Iran."

Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDY BURNHAM, PRIME MINISTER, UNITED KINGDOM: There are strong indications that Iran played a part in what happened over the weekend at RAF Fairford.

But of course, it remains an ongoing complex and serious police investigation. And of course, we are working closely with our colleagues in

the United States of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, those comments come as President Donald Trump and the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, also point the finger at Iran. Many

questions remain over the details of the incident and the police response. Earlier British media reported was one of the suspects who called emergency

services to alert authorities. Our Nic Robertson has all the latest for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (on camera): So, these new details that are emerging are intriguing, really getting to grips with

how much the police knew and when they knew it. We've heard from the head of the British counterterrorism updating their previous statements,

definitively now saying that they didn't find any explosives in those three vehicles, saying they did find quantities of petrol, of gasoline in the

vehicles.

And also going on to sort of reiterate why these five men have been released on these strict bail conditions, saying that this was a decision,

looking at all the factors based on experience, it does seem there that potentially pushing back against this criticism, apparent criticism coming

from President Trump in the United States, that he wouldn't have released the men the way that the British police have.

So, there's that. But there's also now being reported in the British media that the police had a phone call from one of the suspects at 12:45 a.m. on

the Sunday morning, indicating that these vehicles were on their way towards this base.

[14:15:00]

And this sort of fits in or perhaps helps explain what we've been hearing from local residents that they were seeing incredibly high levels of

security around the base. One local resident saying at 5:00 p.m., when they were walking their dog very close to the perimeter of the base, that they

were met by armed security forces who told them to go home and shut their doors and close the windows.

And this is completely unusual. They say another person at 8:00 p.m. that evening, a local resident was on their way home with their family again,

stopped by armed officers told to not go down that road. So, there's a -- it's creating an image that there was a high level of expectation around

the base that something was going to happen on the Saturday evening into the Sunday early hours.

And now, the British media reporting that the police say they were aware, made aware by a call to the police hotline, a 9-9-9 call made aware that

these vehicles were on the way in that direction towards the base.

Of course, the farmer who called in the alert to the police at 1:40 a.m. that morning when she found the three vehicles blocking the way to her

farm, those three white vans blocking the way to her farm. And then after that, saw what she thought were 8 to 10 people running away from the area.

She raised the alarm, called the police, and she said, you know, within about ten minutes or so, the whole area, the village was swarming with

police. And that sort of big operation that was subsequently seen unfolded.

But these new details really sort of leaning into an impression created, that the police had some advance knowledge, even if it was only at 12:45

a.m. in the morning. And why potentially they didn't go in, in greater force to try to prevent something happening.

Of course, you know, there have been examples in the past in Northern Ireland, for example, with the IRA there, that the police would receive

calls to lure them in to a situation and then -- and then be attacked. So, obviously, you know, the potential there for the police to have reasons to

be cautious.

But these details really now sort of getting under the skin of what is still essentially a developing story, and with investigations still

ongoing. Nic Robertson, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: And we'll stay across that story for you, of course. And still to come tonight on the show, much more on our top story, the apparent

attempted hijacking of Flydubai plane heading for Tel Aviv. We'll hear from one of the passengers. That's also ahead -- that's just ahead.

Also, ahead for you, I should say, new revelations surrounding an alleged gang rape at Cornell University. What the accuser reportedly said to police

at the time, and what the district attorney is saying now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:20:00]

SOARES: Well, an update now on our top story this hour. Airline passengers who survived a terrifying ordeal have now landed safely at Israel's Ben

Gurion Airport we showed you in the last 20 minutes. Some relief passengers arriving at the airport near Tel Aviv were heard chanting the "people of

Israel live!"

A replacement plane flew them from the flight diverted to Saudi Arabia. The Israeli Prime Minister says one of the pilots aboard the Flydubai flight

stabbed the other and appears to have tried to crash the plane. Here's one passenger describing the ordeal. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were dropping very sharply, suddenly and it got balanced, the plane and then again, it started dropping and again balanced.

And then we saw, you know, a very -- out of crowd on the frontline near the cockpit.

And we understood that there is -- there is a problem over there. But luckily, a couple of passengers and crew members took over and we ended up

landing in Saudi Arabia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Absolutely terrifying for all those passengers. We'll have more on that in about ten minutes time also. Meantime, India's Supreme Court is

pushing for accountability over a recent series of rape cases. Hundreds of students, protesters in the capital last week after a teenager said she was

gang-raped by three men at a park.

Another case was reported last month involving a 17-year-old girl in a moving bus. Students took to the streets again just a short time ago,

demanding more safety for women. And there are fresh questions tonight about what law enforcement may have known at the time of an alleged gang

rape at Cornell University in 2024.

CNN has obtained a six-page written statement the accuser gave to police weeks after the alleged incident. In it, the woman told investigators she

was OK with the initial sexual encounter. But later that night, did not consent and believed she was raped.

In a separate document reported by CNN affiliate "WCBS", she told Cornell Police, quote, "I can say with a 100 percent confidence I was raped." The

county District Attorney reopening the case tells us he was not provided with a transcript of Jane Doe's interview with the police.

She's now suing the university and the seven men she says assaulted her. The student newspaper was first to report on the lawsuit, setting off a

firestorm of anger on campus as well as beyond directed at school administrators and police. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SOPHIA DASSER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, THE CORNELL DAILY SUN: I think the reaction is definitely multifaceted. I mean, there is shock. There is

outrage. But there's this underlying feeling that the majority of students are unsurprised by the situation.

And there's this huge wave of solidarity and kinship with Jane Doe that I think both Cereese and I have experienced through our -- in our inboxes and

our voicemails.

CEREESE QUSBA, SENIOR EDITOR, THE CORNELL DAILY SUN: I don't think you could really expect the national attention it got. And I think that's

largely due to the fact that we included graphic details of the lawsuit that the lawsuit wrote.

And we did not sugarcoat anything in our coverage. And we've continued to offer transparency to the Cornell community, but also to everyone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Such important journalism from those two students. Let's bring our Gin -- Brynn Gingras to the story. She's been following this closely and

joins us now from New York. So, Brynn, let me start really from what we've heard and this six-page written statement, right? That --

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes --

SOARES: The Jane Doe gave to police weeks after the alleged incident. I mean, that is quite startling. I mean, who is responsible here for not

passing this on then to the county District Attorney?

GINGRAS: OK, so, Isa, it's a little confusing and I'm going to walk you through it, OK? So, this six-page written statement that was given to

police a couple of weeks after the incident happened in 2024, that was provided to the District Attorney's office, OK?

It's pretty graphic. It has a lot of details in there and essentially goes on to say that this victim, Jane Doe, believes, you know, she was heavily

intoxicated. She was pretty much OK with certain things that were happening that night between her and a couple of the fraternity brothers.

But then as the night escalated, there were certainly things that were happening, including more men in fraternity brothers, as she alleges,

coming into where she was and trying to basically sexually assault her.

[14:25:00]

And she, as you pointed out, said that she believes that she was raped. And that is all in that six-page written document that the District Attorney

says he did receive back in 2024. But there's this other document --

SOARES: Right --

GINGRAS: That is reported by "WCBS", a local affiliate of CNN. It is a transcript. Now what that transcript is of, we're not entirely sure. We've

asked officials on both sides, and we can't get any sort of clarity. But that transcript has excerpts in it where she told -- according to "WCBS",

she told police she's a 100 percent sure that she was raped that night.

It talks about how when she gave statements to police, not even just once, twice on multiple occasions, that there were investigators in the room,

there were Title IX investigators. There were other people in that room.

So, there's a little bit of discrepancy between what we have in our possession and what "WCBS" is reporting. So, this is important because the

D.A. only says he received the six-page document, which again is very detailed --

SOARES: Right --

GINGRAS: Before coming to a conclusion about whether or not he could press charges. He says he didn't receive any other information other than

SnapChats, basically, to come to his conclusion on whether or not to press charges.

Now, so he's pushing the blame right back on the university. We went to the University and we asked, hey, what is this other transcript, and did it go

to the D.A. before these decisions were made? And they basically said they gave everything to the D.A.

So, look, we're getting a lot of blame game here, right? Something is not adding up. And that is what I can tell you. We have so many reporters

trying to exactly figure out what was going on. But what all this does in whole is just -- it just raises more questions.

How even with this six-page document, if you read it, which I have, how can charges not be filed? I mean, it's extremely graphic. She does believe she

was raped. She says so in that document. And also, who knew what? So, these are all questions that are circulating not only amongst reporters, but of

course around that campus community.

As you can see, there's a lot of distrust and you can see why? But certainly, more questions really, as this story continues to progress.

SOARES: Yes, I mean, really, that six-page document, it really is very chilling indeed. I know you'll stay across it for us, Brynn, I know you'll

try. You and the team will try to get to the bottom of this separate document that "WCBS" is reporting on. Appreciate it, Brynn. Thank you very

much --

GINGRAS: Yes --

SOARES: Indeed. Live for us there in New York. And still to come, tonight on the show, we'll speak to CNN's aviation correspondent about air safety

concerns after a terrifying incident today aboard a flight heading to Tel Aviv. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:30:00]

ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Welcome back, everyone. A quick update for you on our top story this hour. Airline passengers who survived a

terrifying episode are breathing a sigh of relief after landing at Ben- Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. The Israel-bound plane took off from Dubai but made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after a violent incident. The

Israeli prime minister says passengers and crew of the FlyDubai flight managed to subdue the attacker and that the assailant has been arrested. A

source says Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with the president of the UAE after the incident.

Meantime, homes bombed into dust, farmland and crops burned and flattened, entire cities erased. New satellite imagery is giving us an incredibly grim

picture of Gaza, where much of the landscape has been left uninhabitable. Let me show you these. An updated version of Google Maps now clearly shows

the level of destruction in Gaza. And you can see it here. The image on the right is the current state of a neighborhood in Rafah, for example, or you

can go to Google Maps, choose satellite view, and zoom into the ruins yourself street by street.

It is an important look at the reality on the ground in Gaza after nearly three years of war. The U.N. says some 82 percent of all structures there

are damaged. Two-thirds are completely destroyed. And nearly everyone in Gaza has been displaced from their homes and multiple times, too. Here you

can see just how tightly people are crammed into the area between Khan Younis and al-Mawasi. Many families in Gaza are living in flimsy tents,

others on the streets themselves.

While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meantime, is fighting for his political life and quite possibly his freedom weeks ahead of an election

that could be the most important in Israel's history. In a new poll from Israel's Channel 12, the opposition bloc is projected to win 54 seats in

the Knesset compared to 50 for the Prime Minister's governing bloc. A government in Israel requires a 61-seat majority. For years, Mr. Netanyahu

has fended off a litany of corruption charges. He's also rejected recent reports that he ignored warnings before the October 7th Hamas attacks.

Let's get more. So, many strands for us to talk to our Gideon Levy, who is a columnist for Haaretz newspaper. He's a former adviser to the late

Israeli politician Shimon Peres. Gideon, always great to see you, great to have you on the show. Look, I will ask you in just a moment about the

upcoming Israeli elections and all the key threads from this.

But let me get first your thoughts on this terrifying FlyDubai incident. I mean, we saw, we showed viewers the passengers arriving now in Tel Aviv.

Huge relief, but absolutely harrowing. Just your initial thoughts.

GIDEON LEVY, COLUMNIST, HAARETZ AND FORMER ADVISER TO SHIMON PERES: My first thought is the human one. I mean, it's really a great relief. It's

really -- we always say that in this part of the world, you must be realistic enough to believe in miracles. And this was a miracle, definitely

a miracle. But the second miracle is, or maybe not a miracle, that more and more we hear that it was an individual election and that Iran is not behind

it.

Because if Iran would have been behind it, and it's not clarified yet, then we would face now another war, undoubtedly. So, at least this is my second

relief that a war with Iran is not around the corner. I hope so.

SOARES: Yes. And look, there is so much we do not know. Even FlyDubai was asking people to refrain from premature speculation. But you're right.

Incredible acts of heroism that we saw, of course, from so many of the passengers on board that flight. Of course, the investigation is ongoing.

As soon as we'll get more details, we will bring that to our viewers' attention.

But I do want to talk to you about politics. And that's principally the reason why we have you on here. Because we are, what, 27 days or so away

from elections in Israel. And early this week, we learned that Prime Minister Netanyahu visited the UAE, meeting with the country's president,

Sheikh Mohamed.

[14:35:00]

And this is important because Haaretz newspaper have alleged that he warned Netanyahu, right, of a major Hamas operation just days before October the

7th. What kind of questions, how is this resonating ahead of an election? Speak to that.

LEVY: So, first of all, the elections, which as you rightly define them as crucial, the campaigns are very, very superficial. And the real issues are

not being discussed. This revelation of Haaretz about the warnings that Netanyahu got some impact, no doubt. But we have to remember, Isa, that

Netanyahu's camp is a very, very solid camp, like with all populist leaders. Namely, they will go after him, really, whatever he does from now

on, whatever he says, it's really like a sect.

And this camp is very solid. Who can be influenced by such pieces of news? Those who are still hesitating, the right wingers who don't like Netanyahu,

but don't trust the other parties, it will have an effect. But right now, as the polls show, we might face a deadlock. And those are very bad news

for Israel, because both sides, as you rightly mentioned, Isa, don't have the majority. Unless they will break this racist taboo that they put upon

themselves not to go with the Arab list. I mean, the alternative, the opposition, which until now claims they will not go with the Arab parties.

In this case, they can't create a government. But that's by itself is a very problematic attitude.

SOARES: And, Gideon, you're referring to -- I'm guessing you're referring to Israel's Central Elections Committee, right? Voting to disqualify these

two main Arab political parties. Where are we on that? Do you expect a decision prior to the election?

LEVY: Yes, sure, there will be a decision, but I was not referring to this, Isa. I was referring to the declaration of almost all the parties in

the opposition that they will not create a government together with the Arab parties. Those who will run, those who will be legitimate. And this is

something that couldn't be ignored. I mean, this is the alternative of Israel. This is not Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir and Smotrich. Those are the

moderates. Those are the liberals. And still, they don't have the guts or the morality or the intelligence to understand that there will be no

alternative government without the support of the Arab parties.

And ignoring them and excluding them is nothing but racism. I guess, to answer your question, the Supreme Court will approve maybe one

parliamentarian who will not be able to run. The head of Balad, he's right now not a parliamentarian, but he's a candidate. All the others, I guess,

the Supreme Court will legitimize.

SOARES: Wow. It looks incredibly tight, of course, as we looked at the latest polls. I know polls are not normally right, but it looks incredibly

tight. And like you said, none of them really have enough for a majority. Gideon, it's always great to see you. Thank you very much indeed, Gideon

Levy, there for us in Tel Aviv.

Well, just about an hour ago, President Donald Trump announced that the last American forces are leaving Iraq, declaring a 12-year mission to fight

ISIS has come to an end. America's presence in Iraq goes back even further. Mr. Trump calls U.S. involvement in Iraq a quagmire. More than 4,500 U.S.

troops have been killed since Washington launched its invasion against Saddam Hussein in 2003. Iraq's central government is holding parades to

mark the withdrawal. Many of U.S. forces who were still present operated out of Kurdish-controlled areas in the north. Iran-backed groups are among

those celebrating the departure.

Still to come tonight on the show, our aviation correspondent joins us to talk air safety issues after a terrifying incident today aboard a flight

heading to Tel Aviv. That is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:40:00]

SOARES: Back now to our breaking news. A source tells CNN Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken with the UAE's president after that

terrifying incident today aboard a FlyDubai plane. All passengers have now arrived at the original destination, Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. They

had been temporarily diverted to Saudi Arabia. Mr. Netanyahu says the co- pilot on the FlyDubai flight tried to crash the plane after stabbing the pilot, and he described it as a highly severe security incident and said

Saudi authorities are interrogating the suspect.

Mr. Netanyahu also personally greeted the man who reportedly helped break into the FlyDubai cockpit and subdued the assailant by putting him in a

choke hold. The man says he then grabbed the plane's controls. You see them there. The airline has confirmed an altercation and says the motive is

still under investigation.

I want to get more from our CNN aviation correspondent, Pete Muntean. And, Pete, we did hear from FlyDubai saying, you know, asking people to refrain

from premature speculation. And the reality is there's a lot we still do not know. The good thing is, is that, you know, all those passengers that

were on board and went through the harrowing experience are now back, back in Tel Aviv, safe and sound. But speak to the questions that, you know,

there are still unanswered. First of all, the cockpit. How did any of the passengers get into that cockpit? What stands out to you?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's a big question here about how they were able to get into the cockpit, because, you know,

in the post-9/11 world, things have been so focused on keeping passengers out of the cockpit. This was clearly a threat from inside the cockpit. And

Israeli officials say the flight's first officer stabbed the captain, then tried to crash the airplane.

Right now, we understand that passengers and an off-duty FlyDubai pilots rushed forward, forced their way into the cockpit, subdued the first

officer. Did they open the door? That's the big question. The track from Flight Radar 24 tells the story here of Flight Dubai, Flight 1073,

departing Dubai, climbing to a cruise altitude of about 34,000 feet. You can see it there on the left side of that graphic.

About two hours into the flight, a dive, then a climb, then another big dive. That's on the right side of the graphic. I looked at the data, the

granular data here, a loss of more than 16,000 feet in 35 seconds thereabouts, a blistering dive. Speed increased from 460 miles per hour to

nearly 700 miles per hour, near the speed of sound, which likely explains the photos of the plane's rudder, which is used to control the yaw of the

plane, the motion of the nose left and right, broken off nearly completely. Any way you slice it, terrifying ride for passengers.

And now, really begins the investigation of how this happened. The cockpit voice recorder will be able to get investigators more insight here. Of

course, they'll want to listen to the passengers as well. The flight data recorder, which captures way more data than what we could get from flight

tracking, that will be key here.

[14:45:00]

This really sounds a lot like previous incidents of attempted or successful what's called suicide by pilot. In 1999, Egypt Air Flight 990 crashed in

the Atlantic Ocean 30 minutes after leaving New York. The NTSB determined the first officer of that plane put the plane in a nosedive. You might

remember in 2015, the German wings crash when a pilot locked the captain out of the cockpit, crashed into the French Alps.

And then in 2023, this was more recent, an off-duty pilot riding in the cockpit of a Horizon Air jet on the West Coast of the United States tried

to shut off the engines. But the pilots that were flying were able to subdue him. You know, this is clearly about pilots who are so close to the

controls and so close to one another and the threat that they pose to themselves. Of course, this will bring up the question of pilot mental

health. That is something that will come up here, although we don't really know the motive just yet.

Even though Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu says this was a case of terrorism, there has been so much reform when it comes to pilot mental

health, at least here in the United States. And a bill that would make it so that pilots can get mental health treatment without losing their license

just passed the Senate here in the United States still needs to pass the House. Any way you slice it, though, a real miraculous end to this story,

but a lot of questions still in the mix here.

SOARES: Indeed, mental health, but also pilot screening. Huge questions, I'm sure.

MUNTEAN: No doubt.

SOARES: Once we have more on this investigation. Pete Muntean, appreciate it. Thank you very much indeed.

While protests are growing right across France, according to one high school organization, about 400 schools were blocked by students. Dozens of

people have been injured with hundreds of arrests. The students are demanding more resources, especially when it comes to teacher shortages and

deteriorated buildings. As Melissa Bell reports, we've been we've seen nationwide protests over the government's planned budget cuts.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fires and blockades at high schools as student protests spread across France, growing more

violent by the day. In this northern French city, the front door to the schools torched. While in Paris, bikes and bins are used as barricades as

students protest over a lack of funding.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We're also protesting the lack of staff and the poor state of the school.

BELL (voice-over): It's been a month since la rentree as the start of the school year is known in France, but the anger goes back much further. It

was fueled and spread on social media with French students using platforms like TikTok to highlight the poor conditions in their schools. At this

school in Servan, Western France, they've been posting about structural issues since 2024, but they say they haven't seen any change.

This week, the situation escalated sharply when police officers on horseback stormed their school. One of several strong-armed efforts from

French police trying to bring the situation under control. It's the sudden violence of these latest blockades that has taken many by surprise, with

more than 600 people taken in by police already, according to France's interior ministry.

In this high school in the Parisian suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis, teachers tell us the violence has mainly come from the police rather than the

students.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They are very violent. They came with shields, with also tear gas. They tear gassed the students, even the mayor, who was in

the middle of the crowd.

BELL (voice-over): The blockades have also sparked a political storm, with the French president condemning the violent scenes during a visit to Spain.

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): I think that the violence has above all come from those who have pushed teachers and thrown

them to the ground, and those that pushed journalists and got mixed up with police who are just doing their job. High schools are there to be open and

to educate. They're not there to be blockaded or for bins to be burned.

BELL (voice-over): Tensions were further ignited by his prime minister, who accused the far-left political party, La France Insoumise, of being,

quote, "irresponsible and fanning the flames outside schools. An accusation rejected by the party's leader.

JEAN-LUC MELENCHON, LEADER, FRANCE UNBOWED (through translator): Frankly, this isn't the first time there's been a high school student movement in

France, but adults need to protect these young people.

BELL (voice-over): In Seine-Saint-Denis, the students we spoke to are standing by their students.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They are angry because I think that they feel abandoned by the state, by the government, and they are working and

studying in terrible conditions, and so they want a change in that.

BELL: The problem for authorities is that as these protests have spread and gotten more violent and the political debate around them has

intensified, the students, like the ones behind me here at this school to the north of Paris in Seine-Saint-Denis, insist that they will continue

with their protests until their demands are met.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[14:50:00]

SOARES: And still to come tonight, right here on the show, the Trump administration's quest to prove that U.S. elections are rigged. We'll tell

you about new indictments handed down today when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: All right. Let me bring you up to date on the breaking news story that we have been following, of course, that flight that was diverted, that

was going to Tel Aviv. We've now seen a message, a tweet on X from Prime Minister Netanyahu, who has identified the stabbed pilot. If you remember,

we've been discussing the top of the show. Let me read you what the prime minister says on his X account. He says, salute to the Indian pilot Captain

Smith Mashahar. So, this is the pilot now being identified. For his extraordinary bravery, despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he

fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker, preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster.

This is a statement that's been put on X that I'm reading out from the Israeli prime minister.

He went on to say he saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals. So, he's calling him a true hero. We heard

from our reporter at the top of the show that they were able, not just this pilot, but other members, of course, on board, were able to subdue the

pilot for 55 minutes. Truly extraordinary. Still on top of this breaking news for you.

I do want to turn our attention back to Washington, because Donald Trump's top law enforcement official says he has uncovered illegal voting in the

U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche today announced that 10 people have been indicted in the state of Minnesota for either voting or registering to

vote, despite not being citizens.

Donald Trump has complained for years about non-citizen voting, that there has never been any evidence it is widespread enough to impact elections in

a meaningful way. More than 3.2 million people voted in Minnesota in the 2024 presidential election.

Evan Perez has been tracking the story. And, Evan, you and I meet again. I'm leaving with very little room to explain what has happened as we come

to the end of the show. But what exactly is Todd Blanche alleging here? Talk us through that.

IVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR U.S. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is an effort to highlight these cases that are routine, that are being done, that have

been done even before this administration about people who try to cast ballots illegally.

[14:55:00]

These were nationals from Liberia, from Lithuania, from Ghana, from Germany, from Canada. And, as you pointed out, this is still very rare.

This is 10 cases, as you pointed out, 3 million people voting in Minnesota and also hundreds of millions of people in the United States in elections

of 2022 and 2024 when these cases were brought.

I'm not sure if we have enough time to play a part of what Todd Blanche was saying just a second ago or just a little bit ago at the Justice Department

where he described the seriousness of this. We could play it right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD BLANCHE, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: Voter fraud erodes the public's trust in our electoral system, and it's vital to our democratic process that we

do everything that we can to restore that trust. The most basic way the Department of Justice can accomplish this restoration of trust is by

working to make sure the only people voting in an election in the United States are American citizens who are eligible to vote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREZ: And the --

SOARES: And that was Todd Blanche speaking earlier. Go ahead. You've got 10 seconds.

PEREZ: This is to put pressure on states to cooperate with the feds. Back to you.

SOARES: Nothing like putting them back in pressure. Thank you very much, Evan. Great to see you.

PEREZ: Thank you.

SOARES: "What We Know" is Max Foster is up next. I'm sorry for cutting you short.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:00:00]

END