Netanyahu Smit Machchhar — in a phone call that has captured hearts across two nations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday invited flydubai captain Smit Machchhar — the Indian pilot who saved 174 lives after being attacked with an axe mid-flight — to light the torch at Israel’s Independence Day ceremony next May, calling him “a hero of the entire world.”
The invitation carries extraordinary weight: lighting the Independence Day torch is Israel’s highest honour, usually reserved for Israeli citizens. Netanyahu extended the same invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Netanyahu Smit Machchhar: The Phone Call
“You are a true hero of the brave peoples of India and Israel, and you are a hero of the entire world,” Netanyahu told the hospitalised captain, in excerpts released by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office. “It’s usually reserved for Israeli citizens, but I think here in this case, all the citizens of Israel will embrace you. They do now, and they will then too.”
Netanyahu added that the pilot, the passengers and the crew had “managed to prevent a 9/11 disaster” — referring to the September 30 attack aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, when co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami allegedly attacked Machchhar with a crash axe in an attempt to bring down the aircraft.
New Details from the Cockpit
Asked by Netanyahu how it began, the 38-year-old captain revealed chilling new details. The co-pilot had asked to take time to pray — “not out of the ordinary,” Machchhar said. “While he was praying, out of respect, I was just looking at the front and not at the back… suddenly after about four-five minutes, there was a big blow to the back of my head.”
“The blows kept coming one after the other. That’s when I realised that it’s not the aircraft, it’s the other guy who was in the cockpit with me.” Despite severe injuries, Machchhar managed to pull open the cockpit door: “I had that one last fight left in me… I gave everything that I had and just went for the door.”
Passengers rushed in, subdued the co-pilot, and the plane — which had plummeted over 17,000 feet in two minutes — was saved.
Netanyahu Smit Machchhar: Why the Torch Honour Matters
The torch-lighting ceremony on the eve of Yom HaAtzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, is among the nation’s most cherished traditions. Twelve torches are lit at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem — one for each of the Twelve Tribes of Israel — by citizens chosen for exceptional contributions to the state and society. The ceremony is broadcast live across the country and watched by millions.
That makes the Netanyahu Smit Machchhar invitation extraordinary. The honour is almost never extended to foreign nationals; inviting an Indian pilot to kindle a torch places Machchhar’s actions in the same frame as Israel’s own national heroes. It reflects how deeply the story of flight FZ1073 resonated with the Israeli public — a civilian pilot who, in Netanyahu’s words, prevented “a 9/11 disaster.”
The parallel invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi adds a diplomatic dimension, underlining the warmth of India-Israel ties. For Machchhar, still recovering in hospital, the May ceremony would mark a remarkable journey — from a fight for survival in the cockpit to one of the world’s most-watched stages.
A Hero’s Welcome Awaits
The call caps an extraordinary week for the captain, who has been showered with honours since the incident. Tributes have poured in from across India and Israel, with fellow pilots’ associations and public figures hailing his composure under attack. The Netanyahu Smit Machchhar invitation now places him on one of the world’s most-watched stages — a symbol, as Netanyahu put it, of the bond between the peoples of India and Israel.
What happened on flydubai flight FZ1073?
On September 30, co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami allegedly attacked Captain Smit Machchhar with a crash axe mid-flight; despite severe injuries, Machchhar opened the cockpit door so passengers could subdue the attacker, saving 174 lives.
What new details did Machchhar reveal to Netanyahu?
The co-pilot had asked to pray before the attack; after 4-5 minutes, Machchhar felt a blow to the back of his head, then repeated blows — realising it was the co-pilot, not the aircraft.
How old is Smit Machchhar?
He is 38 years old.
Where is Smit Machchhar now?
He is undergoing treatment at a hospital in the UAE.
