JPost.Qassam fire "will not stop in two days or..."

Barak orders IDF to gird for wide Gaza offensive
By Haaretz Service
Defense Minister Ehud Barak (Reuters)

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Monday that he has instructed the Israel Defense Forces to prepare for a possible wide-scale operation in the Gaza Strip in response to the ongoing Qassam rocket attacks from the coastal territory. Barak told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Israel would not rule out any possible course of action to bring quiet back to the western Negev and security to the residents of Sderot and nearby communities. "IDF operations are continuing day and night and will even be expanded," hen told committee members.

The defense minister said that in recent days, the IDF has killed 61 Palestinian militants. He added that over the last four months, 200 militants have been killed by Israeli fire. Qassam fire "will not stop in two days or even in two weeks, but the army will stop the phenomenon," said Barak. During a meeting on security developments Sunday, and at the weekly cabinet meeting, Barak and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that Israel needs to continue its preparations for a large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip, but that there is no point in rushing into one. Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi recently gave orders for such preparations, but army sources insist that they have not received any order to initiate an operation. Military sources said that such operation is not likely to begin for several more weeks. Barak has reiterated that Israel will not embark on a military operation unless Israel defines its goals, "has a [political] exit plan" and prepares the ground for broad international support for its action.
haaretz.com