07 January,2009 09:24 AM IST | | AFP
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reaffirmed Israel's conditions for a Gaza Strip ceasefire with Hamas and warned the Shiite Hezbollah militia in Lebanon against starting any new conflict.
Olmert yesterday said "terrorist" rocket attacks and weapons smuggling from Egypt into Gaza must end before Israel halts its offensive in the Palestinian territory.
"Let the terrorist acts stop, halt the arms smuggling from (Egyptian) Sinai into Gaza, and the Israeli combat will stop," Olmert said on a visit to Sderot, one of the towns in southern Israel which have been hit by rockets from Gaza.
"All the acts of terrorism must end. There must be no smuggled arms into Gaza to give the assassins' organisations the chance to fire," he said. With at least 635 Palestinians killed in the war launched on December 27, Israel has faced increasing international calls for a ceasefire.
Olmert also sent a veiled warning to Hezbollah that Israel was ready to respond on its northern front if threatened. "Let it be clear, we will make no compromise on our security.
No one should get the wrong impression over our determination and our alertness on any front. We are not afraid of any confrontation or threat. "We truly hope that no one will put us to the test," Olmert said in a speech broadcast on army radio.
