From the UK to Israel, the signs of Iran’s malicious influence across the West are growing. Will the attempted hijack of an Israel-bound flight from Dubai be added to that list?

On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey speaks with Jerusalem correspondent Henry Bodkin and Israel-based OSINT specialist Tal Hagin about how the flydubai pilot and passengers fought back to prevent a catastrophic attack that could have sparked a fresh war. As Donald Trump calls the alleged attacker a “terrorist or a whackjob”, they discuss three scenarios for who was behind it, “false flag” conspiracy theories - and the implications for the Middle East.

After OSINT company Golden Owl exposed an Iran-linked influence operation targeting Israeli voters ahead of the election, they break down how the race between Benjamin Netanyahu and rival Gadi Eisenkot is going.

Plus, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham says Tehran was likely behind a plot foiled outside the UK’s RAF Fairford airbase, and the US kicks out Iranian negotiators as peace talks stall.


00:00:00 - US-Iran Peace Talks Collapse & UK Base Terror Link  
00:03:42 - Attempted Flydubai Plane Hijacking: Inside the Cockpit Struggle  
00:07:31 - Debunking False Flag Conspiracy Theories Surrounding the Flight  
00:09:50 - Who Directed the Attack? Lone Wolf vs. State-Sponsored Scenarios  
00:16:19 - Netanyahu’s Political Strategy Ahead of the Israeli Election  
00:20:56 - Opposition Candidate Gadi Eisenkot Struggles to Gain Momentum  
00:23:51 - Uncovering Iran's Covert Influence Network in Israel  
00:28:13 - Israeli High Court Rules on Banning Arab Political Parties  
00:31:05 - Multi-Front Conflict: Updates from Lebanon, Gaza, and West Bank  
00:32:35 - How Security Concerns & Fear Will Shape Israeli Voter Choices  


Highlights
How flydubai’s hero pilot and passengers stopped a war
Iranian covert influence network exposed targeting Israeli election debate

CONTRIBUTORS:
Venetia Rainey, co-host and executive producer @venetiarainey
Henry Bodkin, Jerusalem Correspondent @HenryBodkin
Tal Hagin, OSINT specialist and director of intelligence network Otus @talhagin

CONTENT REFERENCED:
Iranian negotiators kicked out of US by Rubio
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-new...

Burnham: Iran played part in suspected RAF terror plot
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026...

How the hijacking of a flight to Israel could tear the Gulf apart
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-new...

The hero who stopped Israel’s 9/11
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-new...

The Other Face of War: Iranian Regime–Linked Manipulation of Israel’s 2026 Election Debate
https://goldenowl.ai/resources/resear...

Winner Best News and Analysis Podcast - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026
Nominated Podcast of the Year - Society of Editors News Podcasts Awards 2026
Nominated Best News, Politics and Current Affairs - British Podcast Awards 2026
The Telegraph, Winner Podcast Publisher of the Year 2026 - Publisher Podcast Awards 2026

Producers: Peter Shevlin and Max Bower
Researcher and Social Producer: Anna Hindmarsh
Studio Operator: Andy Watson
Executive Producer: Venetia Rainey

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