IAF nearly shoots down packed Continental jet
The Israel Air Force buzzed and nearly shot down a Continental Airlines 777 with over 300 people on board today, after the jet failed to identify itself as required under international procedures.The packed flight - Flight 90 from Newark - had identified itself some 200 miles out from Tel Aviv, but had been lost from the radar screens and failed to identify itself as it came closer to Israel. When it was forty miles from Tel Aviv - five minutes by air - four fighter jets (two F-15's and two F-16's) came out to escort the plane and ensure that it had not been taken over by terrorists attempting to carry out a 9-11 type attack.
I have not seen this reported on any US web sites (including Continental's) but it is being reported by both the JPost and YNet.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:39 PM
4 Comments:
The IAF did not "nearly shoot the plane down". That's ridicules. The intercepted and escorted the plane over the Mediterranean until they were able establish contact and verify that the pilot was in control of the plane. They had visual contact with the plane and knew that there were over 300 passengers, many of whom were Israelis.
The Matrix,
The fact that there were 300 civilians on board does not preclude the possibility that someone would try to crash the plane into an office tower.
Remember 9-11. That's why they went out to get the plane.
Carl.
We would not have done such a thing....ever!
We have been very careful about this sort of thing.
The EU and America's "Allies" would certainly shoot down an JEW-Plane.....but we would never, ever, do that to our FRIENDS.
Michael,
If a plane is about to fly into the Azrieli Center, you can bet that it will be shot down. Just like the US will shoot down any plane headed for the Hancock Tower in Chicago. Obviously, you don't do that sort of thing without making darned sure that you have no choice.
You may not be old enough to remember, but in 1973 Israel shot down a Libyan civilian airplane over Sinai and in 1988, the USS Vincennes shot down an Iran Air flight over the Persian Gulf. If you had known what was happening on American Flight 11 on the morning of September 11, 2001, would you have shot the plane down?
Never say never. Thank God this was a false alarm and all's well that ends well.
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