PM: Israel may be forced to intensify operations

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday that if Israel's current military and diplomatic moves proved ineffective, Israel would be forced to intensify its reaction to the attacks on the South. Olmert also promised that the government would work to set up at least 200 protected rooms each month in towns affected by Kassam attacks, Israel Radio reported. The announcement followed Defense Minister Amir Peretz's decision to declare a state of emergency in those areas, on the premise that the conflict with Palestinian rocket-launching crews would not be ending any time soon.