Amid dangers posed by ongoing rocket fire from Gaza, arriving planes diverted to Ramon airport near Eilat; departures continue from Ben Gurion; US airlines begin canceling flights
Rockets are launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, Wednesday, May 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip renewed rocket fire into Israel at dawn Thursday after a three-hour lull in attacks overnight. Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces continued to attack what it said were key Hamas targets, destroying the terror group’s treasuries and hitting more top leaders.
Rocket sirens sounded in areas around the Gaza Strip on Thursday morning, with no immediate reports of injuries or damage. The predawn attacks were relatively modest compared to the massive barrages that were fired into Israel during the two preceding nights.
Terror group says it fired over 100 rockets in the latest bombardment hours after claiming that firing on Tel Aviv is 'easier than drinking water'; Hamas also claimed to have targeted Ramon Airport; child moderately hurt while running to bomb shelter
2021-05-13 09:35:23 GMT2021-05-13 17:35:23(Beijing Time) Xinhua English
JERUSALEM, May 13 (Xinhua) Israel s main international airport is closed for landings amid rising tensions between Israel and the Gaza Strip, the country s airport authority said Thursday.
The Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv is closed for incoming flights. Departures will be redirected to the Ramon Airport, a smaller airport outside the southern resort city of Eilat, the Israel Airports Authority said in a statement. The decision to reroute the flights is aimed to allow greater freedom of action in protecting the skies of Israel, said the statement.
Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines have temporarily suspended planned flights to Israel from Frankfurt, Munich and Vienna. The flights are expected to be renewed by Saturday.