Suspension of flights to Tel Aviv remains
Al-Huriya News Agency - The suspension of US and European airline flights to Israel's Ben Gurion airport after a nearby rocket attack has been extended for a second day.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) renewed its ban on three US carriers - Delta, United and US Airways - for a further 24 hours.
Meanwhile, three French and German airlines cancelled more flights to Tel Aviv amid ongoing safety concerns.
Air France said it was suspending such flights "until further notice".
'Completely guarded'
The FAA first imposed the ban on Tuesday, extending it further on Wednesday citing the "potentially hazardous situation" in Israel and Gaza.
German carriers Lufthansa and Air Berlin also extended their flight cancellations until Thursday.
Lufthansa said its decision to cancel flights also applied to its subsidiaries including Germanwings, Austrian Airlines, Swiss and Brussels Airlines.
British Airways, however, has said it will continue scheduled flights into the region with no current plans to suspend service.
The cancellations have drawn criticism in US and Israel.
On Wednesday, Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz said President Barack Obama had orchestrated the FAA flight suspension in order to undermine Israel.
"The facts suggest that President Obama has just used a federal regulatory agency to launch an economic boycott on Israel, in order to try to force our ally to comply with his foreign-policy demands," he wrote in a statement.
State department spokeswoman Marie Harf said the suggestion was "ridiculous and offensive".
"The FAA takes its responsibilities very seriously," she said. "I will speak for them in that case. They make these decision based solely on the security and safety of American citizens, period."
