For the first time ever, a commercial passenger plane  has used Saudi airspace to fly directly to Israel.

Air India Flight 139 flew within 60 km of Riyadh as it traveled for about three hours over the kingdom this week at an altitude of 40,000 feet. En route from New Delhi to Tel Aviv, the aircraft traveled for a little over seven hours in total.

During the trip, the plane also passed through Oman's airspace. Neither Saudi Arabia or Oman officially recognize Israeli sovereignty, and both have yet to officially comment or confirm that they granted permission for the flight to travel the route, according to The Independent.

Indian media reported that the flight will take place three times per week moving forward.

The Israeli transport minister, Yisrael Katz, called the flight "historic", referring to it as "the first civilian connection with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states," The Guardian reported.

Back in February, reports began circulating in international media suggesting that Saudi Arabia had granted permission for Air India to fly through the kingdom's airspace to Israel. At the time, a spokesperson for the General Authority of Civil Aviation told Reuters that no such permission was given.

The kingdom has had an airspace ban on flights headed to Tel Aviv for some 70 years, meaning such a decision would mark a dramatic shift in official policy. 

Abdulrahman Al-Rashed, a prominent Saudi journalist, argued last month that the ban on flights to and from Israel should remain in place, along with the bans on Iran and Qatar.

"The ban on the flights of these countries should remain in place until the time comes and they are reconciled," Al-Rashed wrote in an editorial column for Arab News.

However, he questioned whether it was necessary to block the aircraft of other friendly nations from using its airspace to arrive in Tel Aviv.

"Our relations with the countries of the rest of the world are good, and we are supposed to allow their civilian aircraft to pass through Saudi airspace, regardless of their destination," he wrote.

"So if the Indian flights were going to Athens or New York or other destinations and wanted to stop at an Israeli airport, why punish them with a ban?"

Some analysts and media reports have suggested that ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel are warming up, pointing to their shared concern over Iran's influence in the Middle East. However, Saudi Arabia has consistently denied such claims.

"There are no relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. There is the Arab peace initiative that constitutes the road map to reach peace and to establish normal relations between Israel and the Arab states," Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said in November.

"Saudi Arabia is committed to the Arab peace initiative. When there will be peace, there will be normal relations between Israel and all the Arab states," he added.

King Salman also reiterated the kingdom's stance toward Israel following U.S. President Donald Trump's controversial decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.

The king said Trump's declaration "represents an extreme bias against the rights of the Palestinian people in Jerusalem that have been guaranteed by international resolutions," according to Al Jazeera.

"I repeat the Kingdom's condemnation and strong regret over the US decision on Jerusalem, for its relinquishment of the historic rights of the Palestinian people in Jerusalem," he added.

Lebanese engineer and lecturer, Michael Bahaa Mikhael, recently announced his candidacy for the Lebanese parliament and he has definitely caught people's attention ... thanks to his looks. 

As part of the "Karamat Beirut" (Beirut's Dignity) list, Mikhael is eyeing the Orthodox Catholic parliamentary seat in Beirut's second district in the upcoming parliamentary elections slated for May 6.

Apart from his promising resume, people could not help but point out that the 30-year-old does not look like a typical Lebanese politician, as he is rather young and attractive. 

Having been born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Mikhael holds both the Lebanese and the American nationalities. He moved to Lebanon as a teenager and attended high school there, before returning to the United States for university. 

After earning a bachelor's degree in civil engineering, Mikhael completed two master's degrees at the University of Nevada, after which he moved back to Lebanon. 

He now works as a lecturer at the University of Balamand and runs an engineering consultancy firm with his family. He also serves as a consultant for the Tannourine Dam project.

"I found you a groom."

"We're thinking of changing our civil status registrations [to his sect and district]."

Mikhael plans to represent the youth and speak up about their problems in parliament. 

"When a person feels like he is not important, he will certainly either drift down the wrong path or leave the country. Let's put our youth in the right place," he explained.

In a recent statement, Mikhael said youths running for parliament do not aim for a "publicity stunt," but rather have "honest and real intentions to deliver the voice of the youth in the capital and try to find effective solutions for all the chronic problems."

He also vowed not to follow the tradition of making empty promises, saying his team will present projects and initiatives that are realistic and enforceable.

From often replying to people's comments to sharing live-stream sessions, his official Facebook page is rather active.

In a Facebook post, he expressed gratitude to non-profit organizations and the people who volunteer at them, saying, "We appreciate their sense of humanity, which is the main motive behind their serving the community."