Iran and Hezbollah, hijackers of planes

Saudi Arabia is confronting several schemes plotted by Iran. A few days ago, the Manila Times reported that it saw confidential documents confirming that a team of 10 people - including six Yemenis - have left Iran in separate flights via Turkey and arrived in several countries in South East Asia in an attempt to execute their plan to blow up and hijack Saudi airplanes.

Kuwait

Iran and its affiliates, primarily the terrorist group Hezbollah, have a history of targeting passenger planes. On April 29, 1986, Kuwait said it had thwarted an attempt by a group of 12 people to hijack a Kuwaiti Airways plane and take it to an unknown location in East Asia.

The investigation accused Imad Mughniyeh, then-Hezbollah’s leader of security apparatuses. In 1988, he hijacked the Kuwaiti Al-Jaberiya jet and forced it to alter its route toward Mashhad in Iran and then to Larnaca in Cyprus. Kuwaiti passengers Abdullah Khalidi and Khaled Ayoub were shot dead by Mughniyeh and dumped off the plane.

Back then, Mughniyeh - upon direct orders from Hezbollah leaders - demanded the release of 17 prisoners held by Kuwait for their role in the 1983 bombings that in one day targeted the country’s major power plant, international airport, the American and French embassies, a petrochemical plant and a residential compound. Iran, Hezbollah and hijacked planes are a never-ending story of criminality that knows no limits or mercy.

This article first appeared on Okaz newspaper on Feb. 25, 2016.

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Turki Al-Dakhil is the General Manager of Al Arabiya News Channel. He began his career as a print journalist, covering politics and culture for the Saudi newspapers Okaz, Al-Riyadh and Al-Watan. He then moved to pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat and pan-Arab news magazine Al-Majalla. Turki later became a radio correspondent for the French-owned pan-Arab Radio Monte Carlo and MBC FM. He proceeded to Elaph, an online news magazine and Alarabiya.net, the news channel’s online platform. Over a ten-year period, Dakhil’s weekly Al Arabiya talk show “Edaat” (Spotlights) provided an opportunity for proponents of Arab and Islamic social reform to make their case to a mass audience. Turki also owns Al Mesbar Studies and Research Centre and Madarek Publishing House in Dubai. He has received several awards and honors, including the America Abroad Media annual award for his role in supporting civil society, human rights and advancing women’s roles in Gulf societies. He tweets @TurkiAldakhil.