Herzog recommends Presidential Medal of Civilian Valor for four Israelis who helped save Flydubai flight FZ1073

President Isaac Herzog spoke with four Israelis, Yaniv Hayun, Dr. Shota Musayev, Zvika Manes and Asaf Rajuan, who acted with what his office called extraordinary heroism during a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Israel. The incident occurred after one pilot stabbed the other and the aircraft began losing altitude.

According to the President's statement, after Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar fought the attacker and opened the cockpit door, Tali Manes, Zvika's wife, raised the alarm about the incident. Hayun, Manes and Rajuan rushed into the cockpit and 'put themselves at risk' to subdue the attacker, with Hayun helping stabilize the aircraft's controls.

After the assailant was subdued, Dr. Musayev provided life-saving medical treatment to the critically injured pilot, helping stabilize him until the plane made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

Herzog told the four men, "At a time when the lives of so many people were in danger, you acted without hesitation, with courage, resourcefulness, and extraordinary mutual responsibility. You put yourselves at risk to save others and prevented a terrible disaster. Today, the whole world saw the beautiful and courageous face of Israeli society. I am proud of you, and I thank you on behalf of the State of Israel."

The president said he intends to bring their story before the advisory committee for the President's Medal for Civilian Bravery and recommend that all four receive the award. Herzog also extended gratitude to Captain Machchhar, saying his "determination and actions enabled the neutralization of the threat and saved many lives."

Dr. Shota Musayev described the incident to the president, saying, "It was a very difficult incident, and we truly were saved." He added, It wasn't only my heroism. Everyone who was there and came near the cockpit was part of it. We were all heroes. All the passengers were heroes. We supported one another on the plane and also when we arrived in Saudi Arabia, and we took care of each other as we should. It shows our strength as a people."

Yaniv Hayun told the president, "Everyone was so moved and welcomed me with great emotion. I'm glad we're here, glad it's all behind us, and very grateful for the call and the warm embrace. It's truly moving."

Asaf Rajuan recalled the moment, saying, "It was an extraordinary incident. We felt helpless, suspended in midair, and I didn't know who to turn to. But it was all instinct: to survive, to save the family, the people, and the children."

The President's Medal for Civilian Bravery was established by Herzog during the war to honor citizens who acted with extraordinary heroism, risking their own lives out of a sense of mutual responsibility to save others. The award is granted following a case review and recommendation by a presidential advisory committee and has previously been given to Israelis who distinguished themselves, including several who acted heroically on October 7 in the Gaza Envelope area.