TEL AVIV, Israel (NEWSnet/AP) — Israel ordered the local offices of Qatar’s Al Jazeera satellite news network to close Sunday. 

Al Jazeera went off Israel’s main cable and satellite providers in the hours after the order. Its website and online streaming links remained accessible Sunday.

“Al Jazeera reporters harmed Israel’s security and incited against soldiers,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. “It’s time to remove the Hamas mouthpiece from our country.”

The order, which includes confiscating broadcast equipment, preventing the broadcast of the channel’s reports and blocking websites, is believed to be the first time Israel has shuttered a foreign news outlet.

Al Jazeera issued a statement vowing it will pursue "all available legal channels through international legal institutions" in its quest to protect its rights and journalists.

“Israel’s ongoing suppression of the free press, seen as an effort to conceal its actions in the Gaza Strip, stands in contravention of international and humanitarian law,” the network said. 

Israeli media said the order allows it to block the channel from operating in the nation for 45 days.

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