Gulf Media Delays and Downplays Coverage of Flydubai Incident

Media outlets in Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, delayed reporting on the incident aboard the Flydubai flight and sought to downplay the scale of the drama, news outlet Behadrey Haredim and newspaper The Jerusalem Post reported.

According to the reports, while Israeli officials framed the event as an attempted hijacking and a disaster narrowly averted by passengers, Gulf news organizations showed considerable caution in publishing details. An analysis in The Jerusalem Post noted that some in the Gulf viewed Israeli sources as unreliable and held back pending official clarifications.