U.S. airlines are being told they are prohibited from flying to the Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv – after a Hamas rocket exploded nearby.

A statement from the FAA says the ban on flights is for 24 hours – beginning at 12:15 p.m. EST (16125 GMT) on Tuesday.

The Jerusalem Post newspaper reports the rocket strike landed about 5 kilometres from Ben Gurion on Tuesday morning.

The notice only applies to U.S. airlines.

The FAA has no authority over carriers from other nations.

The agency says it will continue monitoring the situation – and  updated instructions will be provided to U.S. airlines “as soon as conditions permit, but no later than 24 hours” from the time the FAA directive went into force.