Old mortar shell found at Ben Gurion Airport
Police dismantle device, which authorities say may have been a dud left over from the 1948 War of Independence
Illustrative photo of mortar shells (photo credit: Tsafrir Abayov/Flash90)
A mortar shell’s remains were uncovered Tuesday at a construction site near the Ben Gurion Airport runways. Police sappers who were rushed to the scene performed a controlled explosion of the 88-mm shell.
Landing and takeoffs at the airport were halted for a few minutes, but were resumed a short while later, after police assured authorities that the mortar no longer presented a security threat.
According to the Airport Authority spokesman, the mortar was most likely a dud left over from the 1948 War of Independence.