IDF: Plane reroutes to Iran with Israeli soldier on board, leaves safelySoldier’s trip home from family in Uzbekistan takes nerve-wracking turn when pilot changes course from Dubai to Shiraz after passenger suffers medical emergency; departs four hours later
An IDF soldier found herself on Iranian soil last week after her flight from Uzbekistan had to reroute from the United Arab Emirates to the city of Shiraz, Iran, the military said on Wednesday.
During the flight, one of the passengers experienced a medical emergency and the pilot had to change course to Shiraz.
The soldier, who was returning from a family visit abroad, contacted officials in Israel and was instructed by the Mossad to speak only in Russian.
The Boeing 737 airliner declared an emergency while flying over Kerman, deep inside Iranian territory, about two and a half hours into the flight.
The plane was allowed to leave four hours later with no unusual events.
Israeli nationals are allowed to fly over Iranian territory, but IDF soldiers are prohibited from doing so.
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The matter is still under IDF investigation, but since the soldier has no security clearances, she is unlikely to be court-martialed.
“Last Thursday, an airplane (of a foreign airline) had unexpectedly landed in Iran after one of the passengers had a medical incident, which led to the flight changing course,” the military said in a statement.
“One of the passengers on board was a lone IDF soldier who was on a connecting flight home from a family visit abroad.
The aircraft and its passengers stayed at the airport for a few hours. After several hours, the aircraft departed and continued to its destination with no interference.”
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