US Federal Aviation Authority lifts Israel flight ban

Delta airlines’ chief executive Richard Anderson said: "We appreciate the advice and consent and the intelligence we get, but we have a duty and an obligation above and beyond that to independently make the right decisions for our employees and passengers.”

“Even if the FAA lifts the prohibition on flying in and out of Ben-Gurion Airport we still may not go in depending on what the facts and circumstances are,” he added.

British budget airline easyJet, which had suspended flights, said it would resume its service from Friday.

The FAA ban was imposed after a rocket and related debris hit a house in the residential neighbourhood of Yehud, just over three miles from the airport.

Prime Minister Netanyahu had harshly criticised to the ban, saying it “only rewards the Hamas terrorists for nothing”.