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Last update - 02:26 12/03/2008 One hour after Olmert's solidarity visit, rocket strikes southern Ashkelon By Yuval Azoulay and Barak Ravid A Qassam rocket was launched yesterday afternoon from the northern Gaza Strip toward Ashkelon only an hour after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert ended a visit to the city. The rocket fell in an open area in southern Ashkelon. There were no damage or injuries. Advertisement It was the first and only rocket fired from Gaza since Sunday, and it did not elicit an Israeli response. In most cases this week, single mortars were fired at Israel, most of which fell within the Gaza Strip. Ashkelon came under Hamas rocket fire in the recent round of fighting, with a number of Katyushas fired at the city. With regard to the recent relative calm, Olmert said, "They aren't shooting, and it's not out of love for Israel and not because they suddenly have taken control of those launching the rockets. We are hitting them painfully and they are pausing to think about it. But that doesn't mean they won't start up again. We have no desire to strike at the population of Gaza, and we do this because we have no choice." Olmert also said, "We don't have a policy of operations, but rather one of systematic fighting, over time, every place there is terror, including in Jerusalem as well." The Color Red alert went into operation in southern Ashkelon's industrial zone. "If we needed proof that this calm is imaginary, we got it," Ashkelon Mayor Roni Mehatzri said yesterday. As part of Olmert's solidarity visit to Ashkelon yesterday, he met with the Banai family, whose son Liron was killed when his jeep was blown up near the border fence last Thursday. Olmert was also briefed by local security officials, the mayor and the head of Barzilai Hospital, Dr. Shimon Sharf. "The state has invested in the South more resources than in other parts of the country," Olmert told the city council, adding that "the only way to deal with the harsh reality is by gritting teeth." Olmert also said there was no way to prevent the firing of Grad missiles on Ashkelon, but they had to be "dealt with." "I have not come with checks to hand out, and in this harsh reality we do what we have to," he added. Olmert said the rockets on Ashkelon should not be regarded as a one-time incident. "This has been the reality of Israel for 60 years, it requires strength and restraint," he said. "I expected him to come with solutions, and that I would leave this meeting with a somewhat more secure feeling, and I was disappointed," councilman Prosper Vaknin said. "We don't need him to tell us to grit our teeth," a city official said, in response to Olmert's remarks. "We need him to give us the means to deal with this new situation," the official added. The Israel Defense Forces has not responded to the few mortar attacks since the beginning of the week. Even before the last operation, however, the IDF carried out frequent actions one to two kilometers inside the Strip along with air attacks on those launching rockets and against Hamas and Islamic Jihad explosive factories. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Bring the house down Dichter to police: Demolish home of J'lem yeshiva terrorist. Media frenzy Israel to boycott Al-Jazeera TV, claiming incitement to terror.

Today Online Barak: Fighting in Gaza, southern Israel may soon resume Responses: 188 Australian parliament lauds Israel as 'custodian of freedom' Responses: 145 Qureia to Livni: PA 'shocked' at plan to expand settlement Responses: 128 Israel to boycott Al-Jazeera TV, claiming incitement to terror Responses: 106 Pro-Palestinian graffiti found inside El Al plane in Italy Responses: 56 Haaretz TV: Israel-born child faces expulsion Responses: 28 More Headlines 02:47 Lull in fighting ends as rockets slam into Israel 20:44 Defense Min.: Fighting in southern Israel, Gaza may soon resume 18:58 New York Governor Eliot Spitzer resigns amid sex scandal 02:16 Poll: Half of Jews oppose living in neighborhoods with Arabs 00:56 Wagner show in Nazi-era hall to raise funds for Ramallah venue 00:37 Rabbi: Terror attack was punishment for rebellion against Torah 16:59 Smuggler buried alive when tunnel collapses near Egypt-Gaza border 20:55 Livni warns 'clock is ticking' on sanctions against Iran 19:29 Brothers sentenced to life in jail for 'honor killing' of sister 02:28 ANALYSIS: Admiral's break with Bush on Iran lands him on the outs 20:24 Shas slams IDF plan to decrease Haredi exemption from army 21:27 Schindler Jews to mark 65 years since Krakow ghetto liquidation Previous Editions Select Day 12 mar 11 mar 10 mar 09 mar 07 mar 06 mar 05 mar 04 mar 03 mar 02 mar 29 feb 28 feb

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