JERUSALEM, March 3 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said after Israeli forces pulled out of the Gaza Strip on Monday that further Israeli military action was likely against Palestinians firing rockets from the Hamas-run territory.

"We are in the midst of a combat action. What happened in recent days was not a one-time event," an Israeli official quoted Olmert as telling a parliamentary panel.

"The objective is reducing the rocket fire and weakening Hamas," Olmert said, after the Israeli pullout ended a five-day-long offensive in which more than 100 Palestinians were killed. (Writing by Jeffrey Heller, Editing by Dan Williams)

AlertNet news is provided by