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.
After hundreds of Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli police in East Jerusalem on Monday morning, Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, launched rocket attacks against Israel, which responded with intense airstrike against targets in Gaza. Enditem
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