TEL AVIV Ñ Israel has placed its international airport under siege amid an alert of a terrorist attack.

Police and security forces have blocked all entrances to Ben-Gurion Airport. They inspected every car entering the facility as well as vehicles on the highways leading to the airport.

Officials refused to provide details on the terrorist alert. But they said the alert was received on late Sunday and concerned Palestinian plans to drive a car full of explosives into Ben-Gurion.

"We didn't shut down the airport because we felt like it, but because of information," Israeli Transportation Minister Ephraim Sneh said.

The result was a huge traffic jam throughout Monday in the Tel Aviv area. Many travelers left their cars and walked to the airport with back packs.

Officials said the alert along with heightened security measures continued into Tuesday.

A terror alert was declared amid a threat by the Islamic opposition Hamas movement to launch 10 bombings in Israel. On Monday, tension rose in Jerusalem when the municipality destroyed 14 Palestinian structures built without licenses at the northern edge of the city.

At the same time, Israeli authorities ordered all residents in the Tel Aviv area to stop drinking tap water. Authorities said the key pipe to the city was polluted by water located near the Arab town of Tira. Officials have so far ruled out the prospect of sabotage but said a guard was found dead at his post at a water facility near Ben-Gurion Airport.

In the Gaza Strip, three Israeli soldiers were injured in a battle with Palestinian forces near the Egyptian border. The Palestinians fired rocket-propelled grenades at Israeli positions on early Tuesday and troops damaged more than 20 buildings in the exchange of fire.

Israeli military sources said many of the buildings were used by Palestinian snipers.

Print this Article

Email this article

Free Headline Alerts