Hamas's "military wing" warned foreign airlines on Wednesday against flying into Tel Aviv, threatening to step up its six-week conflict with Israel after firing more than 100 rockets on Israeli civilians and pulling out of peace talks.
"We are warning international airlines and press them to stop flying into Ben Gurion airport from 6 am (0300 GMT) Thursday," Al Qassam
Brigades spokesman Abu Obeida stated Wednesday, in a televised speech.
The move marks yet another Hamas 'scare attempt' aimed at harming Israel's economy and security reputation, after a rocket hit near Ben-Gurion airport last month scared international airlines into canceling flights for several days.
The cancelations followed a US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ban on American carriers flying to Israel; several European companies followed suit, as had those from Turkey and Jordan. Israeli national carriers maintained their usual flight schedules.
Overall, however, the move was hailed as a "great victory" for the terror group.
"The success of Hamas in closing Israeli airspace is a great victory for the resistance, and is the crown of Israel's failure," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said last month.