An Israeli citizen ended up spending 24 hours in Tehran yesterday after his flight from Istanbul to India had to make an emergency landing there. After finally landing in Mumbai, the passenger, identified only as "Beni," said he had been treated exceptionally well and had even received a small souvenir from the Islamic Republic.

The Turkish Airlines Airbus aircraft was diverted from its planned flight path on Friday night after the pilot detected an electrical problem. The flight took off again on Saturday morning with its 123 passengers abroad. However, after forty minutes in flight, the airplane was forced to turn around again, this time with a hydraulic problem.

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The flight finally took off shortly after 7 P.M. Tehran time yesterday evening. The passengers had spent a sleepless night in the international airport lounge. Officials refused to lodge them in hotels, citing visa issues.

In a conversation with Haaretz after his safe arrival in India, Beni said the Iranians were aware that he was Israeli, and that he was treated well. "They were very nice. I tried to say I was British, but they knew I was Israeli and they gave me a bodyguard for my safety," he said. "They even gave me a small farewell gift: a wooden box with traditional carvings.