Peretz: Israel will stop the Kassam fire

During a meeting of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, Defense Minister Amir Peretz said that Israel was "using all [available] instruments and taking all [available] steps before getting into a massive operation," referring to stopping the continuous fire of Kassam rockets from northern Gaza. "If that doesn't work," he continued, "I am sure that we will bring back peace to the area-I won't allow the fire to continue. There is no doubt that the organizations active today understand our message. But if this doesn't bring peace, there will be a step-up to more decisive operations. We definitely intend to stop the fire."