Criminal probe into Transport Ministry officials after Fly Dubai

A criminal investigation has been opened against two senior officials at the Transport Ministry following the near-disaster on the Fly Dubai flight, Guy Peleg and Omri Maniv report on N12.

The probe focuses on Dvir Rubinstein and Avri Cohen, with different allegations being examined against each.

Rubinstein, who heads the Operations Centre for Aviation Security at the Transport Ministry, is suspected of conflict of interest. As N12 previously revealed, while serving in his ministry role, Rubinstein worked for foreign airlines he was supposed to oversee, and received payment from Fly Dubai for training services he provided to the company.

Rubinstein's job description states he is "responsible for all security approvals and permits required for any airline and flight seeking to enter Israel". Investigators are now examining whether his private work for foreign airlines conflicted with his ministry position as their overseer.

Cohen, head of the Emergency, Security, Information and Cyber Division at the Transport Ministry, is being investigated over a Haaretz report that he simultaneously served as a reserve security officer for an Israeli airline abroad.

According to the N12 report, the investigation is examining whether he worked an additional job in the Israeli security apparatus "Ofek" without obtaining approval from the Civil Service Commission. The allegation in his case may be disciplinary rather than criminal.

The investigation was triggered by the publication on Channel 12's main news broadcast of an internal Transport Ministry document signed by Cohen, stating that the ministry's security division is responsible for the security of flights entering Israel. According to the document, the division is required to conduct ongoing threat assessments and inspections at airports.

In response to the document's publication, the Transport Ministry stated that "Debir Rubinstein provides services to the Transport Ministry through outsourcing and is not a civil servant. His additional occupations were approved according to law and are carried out outside his working hours under the contract with the ministry".

Fly Dubai aircraft (Photo: Yossi Aloni / Flash90)

In a closed-door session of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, officials acknowledged that more than 1,200 air crew members from countries with which Israel has no diplomatic relations, including Lebanon, Syria, Oman and Iran, entered Israel from the beginning of 2026 until now.

An internal security document titled "Security Directive 2026" reveals that the Transport Ministry, headed by Minister Miri Regev, is the sole authority responsible by law for setting security procedures for foreign flights, including thorough screening and identity verification of pilots.

The Fly Dubai incident occurred when Omani co-pilot Hammam al-Hammami attempted to carry out an attack and crash the plane into Ben Gurion Airport. B'chasdei Shamayim, the attack was prevented thanks to four Israeli passengers, Yaniv Chiyon, Dr Shota Musayev, Zvika Manes and Asaf Rejwan, who managed to overpower the attacker after the wounded captain succeeded in opening the cockpit door.