Barak: It is irresponsible to talk about military targets in Hamas

By JPOST.COM STAFF
"Israel will not hesitate to carry out any operation that could lead to a reduction in Kassam fire," Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Tuesday after landing in Turkey for talks. There were reasons, he claimed, why Israel was not committing to a large-scale operation in the Gaza Strip. "The entire military and political leadership in Israel is dealing with the matter, but we must act with responsibility over time," Barak said. Referring to the possibility of targeting the Hamas political echelon, the defense minister said: "It would be irresponsible to give names and targets." Barak criticized elements in Israel of forewarning Hamas leaders by providing names of possible targets. When the time came, Barak said, those targets had already gone into hiding and were simply not to be found