By Xinhua
Jerusalem : Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak vowed on Thursday to expand its ongoing military operations to stop the intensified Qassam rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip, local media Yedioth Ahronoth reported.
Barak made the remarks while touring the area of Gaza border fence accompanied by regional army commanders, according to the report.
“The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) will continue its ongoing operations and expand them in order to target Qassam launchers, until the rocket fire stops. This will not be simple and will not happen over the weekend, but we will see to it that the attacks on Sderot stop,” Barak was quoted as saying.
Military will bring an end to rocket fire by Gaza militants, Barak stressed, praising commanders of the IDF and the security service Shin Bet in the region for their work in recent weeks.
The strikes by IDF and Shin Bet in Gaza caused significant damage to the Palestinian terror organizations, he added.
The Israel Air Force killed at least four Palestinians in the Gaza Strip in two separate air strikes on Thursday, as Gaza militants pounded southern Israel with massive Qassam rocket fire for a third straight day.
Nearly 40 Qassam rockets have been launched from the norther Gaza Strip into Israel since Thursday morning. In the past three days, more than 100 rockets have been fired into Israel along with dozens of mortars.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Thursday that Israel would continue to fight Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip aslong as the rocket fire on southern Israel continued.