Gaza rockets launched toward Tel Aviv, Ben Gurion Airport
24-07-2014 01:39 PM
Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - The Israeli military said that five rockets fired from Gaza were intercepted over Tel Aviv on Thursday, as militant groups from the Strip continued to rain missiles down on central Israel.
Earlier in the day, the Hamas-affiliated al-Qassam Brigades claimed that it had launched two M75 missiles at Ben Gurion Airport, hours after US air authorities said they were restarting flights into Israel after canceling them two days before.
The cancellation of all flights from the US, as well as from a number of European countries, Turkey, and Jordan, was triggered after a rocket struck a house in the city of Yehud near the airport runway.
The new attack on Ben Gurion raised fears in Israel that flights would shut down again, raising the prospect of major economic consequences for Israel amid the summer tourist season.
Although Israeli authorities have said that the Gaza rockets have the country in a state of siege, disruptions on daily life and on the economy have been relatively minimal for most Israelis.
Two Israelis have died in rocket attacks, as well as one Thai national who was working in a field near the Gaza border, since the Israeli assault on Gaza began two weeks ago.
The Israeli government has constructed an elaborate system of shelters in Jewish-majority areas across the country as well as sirens that warn of incoming rockets.
The Israeli assault on Gaza, meanwhile, has killed more than 730 Palestinians, with thousands more wounded.
*Ma'an