Olmert: 'Painful' response coming

JERUSALEM, March 1 (UPI) -- Israel will respond in a "serious, painful, strong and uncompromising way" if rocket fire continues coming from Gaza, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday.

Speaking at the start of a Cabinet meeting, Olmert said continuing rocket fire by Palestinian militants from Gaza into Israel's western Negev desert is a violation of the cease-fire that ended the 22-day Israeli military incursion into Gaza and was unacceptable, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.

Saying the militant group Hamas is using continued rocket attacks as a way to recover from the incursion, Olmert declared, "The Israeli government has formulated policies and a unanimous decision has been made by the cabinet according to which, should the rocket fire continue, we will respond in a serious, painful, strong and uncompromising way."

No one was wounded in any of the attacks, in which at least eight rockets struck areas of the western Negev Friday and Saturday, the Jerusalem Post reported.

An unnamed source told Ynetnews Sunday Israel's military has been waiting for the green light to respond to cease-fire violations ever since the Gaza offensive ended. The source said that failure to respond to the Palestinian rockets is creating a "vacuum."