EL Al jet in mid-air emergency

Photo / AP

An emergency on board an El Al jet from Israel bound for New York has forced the plane to head back.

The Boeing 777 jet, carrying 279 passengers, turned back after the discovery of a technical fault in one of its left wheels.

Over 70 emergency teams are at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, the Jerusalem Post reported.

While the plane waits to make the emergency landing, the pilots were instructed to release the plane's fuel in the Mediterranean Sea.