TEL AVIV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th May, 2019) Palestinian rocket attacks on southern Israel have not affected the schedule of preparation for the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv, where participants of the contest have already started rehearsals, organizers of the event told Sputnik.
Tel Aviv, the second largest city in Israel, its business capital and the most popular Mediterranean resort, is located several dozens of miles north of the area targeted by Palestinian rockets. Rockets fired from Gaza have repeatedly reached Tel Aviv during previous waves of confrontation.
"In accordance with the instructions of the Home Front Command, all the events of the Eurovision Song Contest will continue as planned, without any changes. All preparations are held in normal mode," Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation KAN, engaged in organizing the contest, said.
The participants, who have already arrived in Israel, including Russian singer Sergey Lazarev, continue their rehearsals at the Tel Aviv Convention Center in accordance with the schedule, the organizers said.
The Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Israel on May 14-18.
Earlier in the day, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that Israeli military had hit 200 targets in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours in response to 430 rockets fired by Palestinians at Israel. The latest exchange of strikes broke a lull that had been lasting for over a month.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday ordered the armed forces to continue large-scale attacks against Palestinian militants as well as to reinforce troops deployed to the border with the enclave with additional artillery units, armored and infantry vehicles.
