Hamas military warns international airlines of more airstrikes

The Hamas military warned of further rocket attacks on Israel's strategic interests, including Ben Gurion airport east of Tel Aviv, a spokesperson said on Wednesday, adding that an Israeli airstrike in Gaza had failed to kill its commander, Mohammed Deif.

Abu Obeida, the spokesman for Hamas' military wing, cautioned international airlines against flying into Israel starting Thursday, suggesting hostilities may continue. Earlier in the conflict, airlines suspended their flights into Israel after a rocket landed in a town near Israel's main international airport.

Israel has not formally commented on the strike but local media quoted an anonymous official as saying it was meant to hit Deif.

Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, told the group's TV station Al-Aqsa that Deif "wasn't even in the location when they bombed it."

Twenty-one people were wounded in a separate airstrike that hit the building that houses Al-Aqsa TV, said al-Kidra, of the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.

Air raid sirens wailed in southern Israeli cities Wednesday morning warning of incoming rockets from Gaza. There were no reports of injuries, though a piece of a rocket that was intercepted near Tel Aviv fell on a busy road on Tuesday night.

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Ask Air Traffic Control: Why are thunderstorms so dangerous?

Question: What is it about thunderstorms that make them so dangerous for aircraft? Why don't regular rain and snow pose the same risks?

Answer: Thunderstorms are so dangerous for aircraft because they can cause microbursts or downdrafts, which have caused many of the accidents that have occurred throughout the past 30 years. Regular rain and snow offer challenges, but properly equipped aircraft can handle these types of weather without many problems. For example, a commercial jet has de-icing equipment while a small, single-engine Cherokee would not normally have de-icing equipment.

Q: How do air traffic control and airport operations monitor birds around airports?

A: There has been some work on developing radar equipment that will detect bird activity, but it has not been deployed at this time. Pilot reports and controller observation are the methods used most to report bird activity. Airports have several methods of dealing with birds; some actually shoot noise cannons to scare them away.

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