Defense Minister Ehud Barak told visiting Austrian President Heinz Fischer on Monday that "I am not afraid of launching an offensive in Gaza, but I'm not running to Gaza."
At a meeting with Fischer and Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger, Barak said "as long as Gaza is calm, it will be met with calm, but if the calm is violated and the situation requires it, we will act accordingly, in the appropriate manner at the appropriate time."
The defense minister spoke less than a week before the December 19 deadline, at which time the Egyptian-brokered cease fire between Israel and the Gaza rulers, Hamas, was set to expire. It was not yet clear whether the truce will be extended.
During their meeting, Barak discussed with the Austrian officials a series of regional issues with an emphasis on the nuclear and missile threat posed by Iran, the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Barak said that Iran represents a threat to the stability of the entire world and called on the global community to step up sanctions against the Islamic republic in efforts to dissuade it from developing nuclear weapons.
The defense minister voiced his appreciation for the Austrian peacekeeping forces around the world, and especially the 400 Austrian soldiers who keep the peace in the Golan Heights on behalf of the United Nations.
