One killed in rocket attack near Tel Aviv; airport closed

Tel Aviv, May 12 (IANS) One person was killed on the outskirts of Tel Aviv on Tuesday evening after a rocket attack by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.According to media reports, a woman was killed in the town of Rishon Lezion when a rocket hit her directly; the Zaka aid organisation confirmed her death.A bus in the city of Holon was also struck by a rocket and burned out, leaving at least six people injured in the attack, DPA news reported citing Times of Israel.Initial reports about a woman being killed in the bus incident were later not confirmed.The greater Tel Aviv area was in the cross-hairs of Palestinian militants, who sent a barrage of rockets towards the coastal metropolis, marking the heaviest attack the city has faced so far.The Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv was closed to landings and departures due to the attacks, and flights were diverted to Cyprus.The Islamist Hamas movement in charge of the coastal enclave had vowed a "harsh" rocket attack on Tel Aviv.
--IANS int/pgh