U.S., Europe, Russia Lift Ban on Flights to Tel Aviv

The U.S. national aviation authority lifted a ban on American flights to Israel late Wednesday, but warned of a "very fluid situation" amid intense fighting in the Gaza Strip.

After a rocket fired by Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip struck a house just north of Israel's main airport in Tel Aviv, the Federal Administration Agency imposed the ban on Tuesday and then renewed it midday Wednesday.

European allies replicated the move.

"The FAA has lifted its restrictions on U.S. airline flights into and out of Israel's Ben Gurion Airport by canceling a Notice to Airmen it renewed earlier today," the agency said in a statement hours before the ban was due to expire.

Before making its decision, the FAA said it worked with U.S. government officials to evaluate 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."

It did not, however, indicate what the new information might entail.

Israel had warned of the economic impact of the ban by many world airlines and said that it would be a win for Hamas, who hailed the suspension as a "great victory."

The FAA said it would "continue to closely monitor the very fluid situation around Ben Gurion Airport and will take additional actions, as necessary."

Later on Thursday, Russia's second-largest airline Transaero said Thursday it was resuming flights to Israel, two days after suspending traffic along with other major airlines over security concerns.

"As of today, Transaero will operate all services between Russia and Israel according to schedule," the company said in statement.

Transaero turned around one of its flights to Tel Aviv in mid-air on Tuesday after European aviation authorities cautioned against flying to Ben Gurion International Airport, after a Hamas rocket struck a neighborhood to the north of the airport.

Russia's largest airline, Aeroflot, said late Wednesday it was resuming flights to Israel.

At least 718 Palestinians have been killed in 17 days of bloodshed in Gaza, with a local rights group saying more than 80 percent of them were civilians.

A total of 32 Israeli soldiers and two civilians have been killed since the start of ground operations on July 17.

For its part, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) lifted its recommendation for airlines to stop flights to Tel Aviv due to the conflict in Israel and Gaza.

It said it had revised its decision adopted Wednesday "on the basis of information provided by the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel and following coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration."