El Al plane is seen at the Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv on Dec. 31, 2022. Photo: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Reuters Connect

Israel has barred a United Airlines pilot accused of expressing support for the Iranian regime and its chief proxy Hezbollah from entering the country, just weeks after a suspected terrorist attempted to crash a Flydubai passenger plane carrying more than 170 people, mostly Israelis.

The decision, first reported Wednesday by Israel’s Channel 12, follows the discovery of social media posts attributed to Sina Amjadian, an Iranian-born pilot employed by the American airline since November 2022.

According to Israeli media reports, Amjadian shared content praising the Islamic Republic, including images of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the regime’s flags. Other online allegations accused him of expressing support for Iran’s missile attacks against Israel and the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah.

The allegations prompted Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism to alert the Transportation Ministry, which referred the matter to Israeli intelligence and security authorities for review.

Following the assessment, Israeli officials formally notified United Airlines that Amjadian would be prohibited from entering Israeli airspace as a crew member.

“The recommendation of the professional authorities was clear — not to allow his arrival in Israel as an aircrew member,” the Transportation Ministry said, according to Channel 12.

United confirmed receiving the notification but said Amjadian does not operate flights to Israel. The airline said he is not certified to fly wide-body aircraft and currently operates only domestic US flights and routes to Canada.

The pilot previously worked for Flydubai, according to a LinkedIn profile attributed to him.

The revelations come three weeks after a suspected terrorist attack aboard a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv raised urgent questions about the security screening of foreign airline crews.

On Sept. 30, an Omani co-pilot allegedly stabbed the aircraft’s captain and attempted to crash the plane into Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport. Passengers and crew subdued the attacker after the wounded captain managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing the aircraft to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

Investigators later reported that the co-pilot had planned the attack before joining the airline and was motivated by a desire to avenge the war in Gaza.

Wednesday’s revelations have renewed scrutiny of Israeli aviation security procedures.

According to Walla, the Transportation Ministry’s security division did not independently uncover the concerns about Amjadian, instead acting after receiving information from the Diaspora Affairs Ministry.

The Transportation Ministry defended its response, saying it acted immediately upon receiving the intelligence.

There is no evidence connecting Amjadian to the Flydubai attack, and the reported social media activity does not itself establish involvement in terrorism.