Israel is thought to believe foul play may be afoot - but Luton denies any of the damage was intentional

Britain's aviation watchdog has launched a probe after three Israeli passenger jets were "maliciously" damaged at Luton Airport.

Passengers on an Israir jet were forced to disembark after it collided with a towing vehicle on Thursday.

It marked the third time this year a flight operated by the airline had been disrupted at the airport.

Israir flight 116 was scheduled to take off at 5pm and arrive at Ben Gurion Airport at 12.05am on Friday.

According to a message sent to passengers, a ground vehicle damaged the plane while it was being towed.

Israel suspects the damage was caused with "nationalistic" intent, with the repeated incidents raising fears of foul play, according to Channel 12.

"Following the accident and after its evacuation, the passengers were taken off the plane, transferred to the terminal and waited to receive their luggage," Israir said in a statement.

Around 300 passengers were left stranded aboard the plane as it sat on the runway for more than two hours.

Travellers aboard the plane said there was no air conditioning, describing the experience as an "absolute nightmare".

The second-largest airline in Israel said the two prior incidents were "of the same type" as the one which took place on Thursday.

The Civil Aviation Authority has now opened a probe, with a spokesman confirming: "We are aware of the reported incidents.

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"This is currently being investigated and will therefore be unable to comment further while those investigations are ongoing."

Luton Airport has insisted the incident was not intentional, and any suggestions to the contrary are "entirely unfounded".

A spokesman for the airport said: "Aviation is a highly regulated industry, and safety and security always remain our highest priority.

"We are aware of a technical incident at London Luton Airport involving an aircraft operated by Israir and its contracted ground handling agent.

"Any suggestion that this was a deliberate act is entirely unfounded.

"London Luton Airport has an exemplary safety record and we will work with the relevant operators to identify any lessons that can further strengthen safety and operational performance."

And an Israir spokesman said: "Israir apologises to its passengers for the inconvenience caused to them as a result of an event beyond its control.

"The safety and security of the passengers is the company's top priority."