FAA Extends Ban on U.S. Flights to Israel as Conflict Rages

The Federal Aviation Administration says it will continue its ban on U.S. airline flights to Tel Aviv while assessing the danger of missile attacks following a rocket strike that forced the diversion of a passenger jet headed there from New York City and the subsequent 24-hour federal ban on all U.S. airlines flights to the war-torn region.

The FAA said Wednesday it is working closely with the Israeli government to review new information they have provided and to determine whether safety concerns have been resolved.

A Delta Boeing 747 departed John F. Kennedy International Airport with 273 passengers and 17 crew aboard and was flying over the Mediterranean Tuesday when it was diverted to France because of reports of a rocket or associated debris near Ben Gurion International Airport.

The airline subsequently grounded all its flights to and from Tel Aviv indefinitely, and the FAA instituted a 24-hour flight prohibition for all U.S. airlines a short time later. 

European airlines Air France and Lufthansa announced suspensions for their flights to Tel Aviv later in the afternoon.

More than 600 people have been killed in Gaza since the conflict began, and another 3,700 have been wounded, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

Thirty-two Israeli soldiers have been killed since the start of the operation, which has included attacks on more than 3,300 targets in Gaza, according to the Israeli army.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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