A flydubai flight carrying about 150 Israeli passengers from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after an apparent physical altercation between the pilots, with Israeli officials saying one pilot may have stabbed the other.

According to Reuters, the Boeing 737, Flight FZ1073, transmitted emergency signals while flying over Jordan before diverting to Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely.

Two Israeli officials said the co-pilot was believed to have stabbed the captain before cabin crew intervened and took control of the cockpit. Both pilots were hospitalised with injuries.

Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 showed the aircraft suddenly plunged nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds before transmitting the first emergency signal.

Israeli officials said the incident was currently being assessed as a possible attempted terror attack, rather than an incident linked to a mental-health problem. Earlier, an Israeli official said the incident was not believed to be a hijacking.

Reports in Israeli media initially offered conflicting accounts of what happened, including claims that a pilot had attempted to crash the aircraft.

Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk airport confirmed that the plane landed safely and that both pilots were injured and hospitalised. Flydubai said the aircraft had experienced an “incident” and diverted to Tabuk, adding that all passengers were safe and accounted for.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held security consultations following the incident and cleared his schedule for the rest of the day, according to an Israeli official.

Investigations into the cause of the altercation and the circumstances surrounding the emergency diversion are continuing.