An Israel-bound plane diverts to Saudi Arabia for emergency landing and other Mideast developments

Concerns about a possible airplane hijacking briefly gripped Israel, while the Lebanese army said the latest Israeli strike in southern Lebanon wounded a soldier and three civilians.

Meanwhile, in Iran, authorities executed two people accused of violence against security forces during the country’s January protests. And the last U.S. forces left Iraq, under a Washington-Baghdad deal from two years ago.

Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Wednesday. Full coverage is available here.

An Israel-bound plane makes and emergency landing in Saudi Arabia

A fight erupted between the pilot and co-pilot on a commercial FlyDubai plane traveling from the United Arab Emirates to Israel, forcing it to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, reports said.

The episode briefly raised concerns about a possible hijacking of a plane carrying dozens of Israelis and prompted Israel to scramble warplanes.

FlyDubai, the airline operating the flight, confirmed that an incident forced the plane to be diverted and to land at the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in the Saudi city of Tabuk.

All the passengers were safe but there was suspicion there may have been an attempt to attack Israelis on the plane and an investigation was ongoing, an Israeli official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the incident was under investigation.

— By Samy Magdy in Cairo and Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel

An explosion in Lebanon wounds a soldier and 3 civilians

The Lebanese army said a soldier was seriously wounded in an explosion in the village of Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa on Wednesday. Three civilians were also wounded, it said.

Initially, the army said the soldier’s vehicle had been targeted by an Israeli strike but later it said the explosion was caused by a “suspicious object.” The army was escorting residents of the area in southern Lebanon to visit their houses, it said.

The Lebanese and Israeli governments in June reached an agreement under which the Israeli military was to withdraw gradually from southern Lebanon and allow the Lebanese army to take control, in exchange for disarming the militant Hezbollah group. However, implementation of the deal has stalled.

Iran hangs 2 men on charges of violence during protests

Iran executed two men on Wednesday over what it said was their role in violence during nationwide anti-government protests in January, state media reported.

IRNA, citing the judiciary, said the men took part in unrest in the northeastern city of Mashhad that left four security officers dead. The judiciary said the men confessed to violence, including setting fires and damaging public property. It also said one had confessed to stabbing a member of Iran’s paramilitary force. Iran’s Supreme Court upheld the sentences before they were carried out Wednesday morning.

The unrest began Dec. 28 amid anger over Iran’s collapsing currency and worsening economy and quickly spread across the country, with demonstrators increasingly calling for the overthrow of the ruling clerical system. Iranian authorities responded with a deadly crackdown.

Dozens of Iranians have since been executed in connection with the protests, according to state media in Iran.

Executions are not uncommon in Iran and are often reserved for political prisoners. Rights groups say the accused are usually tried in secretive courts based on forced confessions extracted through torture.

Last US troops leave Iraq

The U.S. military announced on Wednesday that it had completed the withdrawal of its troops from Iraq, ending a 12-year mission to fight the Islamic State group.

Baghdad touted the move as a sign of the country’s growing strength and sovereignty. It was also celebrated by Iran-backed groups but raised concerns among some other Iraqis, particularly in the Kurdish region.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell, in a statement, called it an “orderly departure” and said that the withdrawal “marks a transition from a wartime coalition mission to an Iraqi-led security effort supported by a more normal bilateral security relationship.”

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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.