JERUSALEM, Dec 12: Israel’s security cabinet on Wednesday ruled out launching a widescale military operation against the Gaza Strip to counter rocket fire from the Hamas-ruled territory, a senior official said.

“The cabinet ruled out a widescale operation for the moment, but decided to continue the current pattern of localised ground incursions and air strikes,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

Defence Minister Ehud Barak, who has overseen a series of pinpointed, smaller-scale incursions into the Gaza Strip since taking office, vowed to find a solution to the ongoing fire.

“I hope we do not reach a dead end where we will have no choice but do what we still, at the moment, do not wish to do,” Barak told a conference at Israel’s National Institute for Strategic Studies in Tel Aviv.

Army chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi warned that despite Wednesday’s decision, the time was “approaching” when Israel would launch a major offensive in Gaza.—AFP