FAA Lifts Ban on Flights to Ben-Gurion Airport

The Federal Aviation Administration lifted a ban late Wednesday on U.S. flights in and out of Israel, which it had imposed out of concern for planes being hit by Hamas rockets.

“Before making this decision, the FAA worked with its U.S. government counterparts to assess the security situation in Israel and carefully reviewed both significant new information and measures the government of Israel is taking to mitigate potential risks to civil aviation,” the FAA said. “The agency will continue to closely monitor the very fluid situation around Ben Gurion Airport and will take additional actions as necessary.”

The IDF continues operating in the Saja’iya neighborhood in Gaza City and is intensifying its efforts in Beit Hanoun, a senior officer said Thursday morning. Several IDF soldiers were wounded in gunfights.

31 tunnels have been discovered thus far; nine of them already destroyed. IDF officials estimate that all tunnels were meant to facilitate terror attacks.

The IDF attacked 35 targets overnight across the Strip, leading to a total of some 3,400 targets since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge.

Also Thursday morning, five Hamas rockets were intercepted over the greater Tel Aviv area in two separate barrages fired within 15 minutes of one another. Seven people suffered from shock, while two others were lightly hurt while making their way to shelters. Hamas stated that it was targeting the airport region, presumably in response to the FAA lifting its ban on flying to Israel.