Belarus said it received a message from the Palestinian militant group, which said it would blow up the Lithuania-bound flight over Belarussian airspace.
Ryanair flight 4978 was just two minutes away from crossing into Lithuanian airspace when it was diverted and forced to land in Belarusian capital Minsk.
The conflict has so far killed 213 Palestinians, including 61 children and 36 women, while Israeli authorities said 12 people have been killed in Israel.
The annual cost of maintaining this secret operation is $900million; more than 100 private companies help service the unit besides a dozen government agencies.