JERUSALEM — Palestinian militants fired 50 rockets and mortars at Israel on Wednesday, and Israel responded with airstrikes in Gaza just hours before a truce was to take effect, illustrating how fragile the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas would be.
In another diplomatic initiative, Israel called on neighboring Lebanon to open peace negotiations — an overture that was quickly rejected by Lebanon’s prime minister.
After a year of violence that has killed more than 400 Palestinians and seven Israelis, the leaders of both sides expressed hope a truce would succeed — but made clear they have little faith in their adversaries’ commitment to the deal.
“I hope it will succeed. I believe there will be quiet in (Israel’s) south,” Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in a speech to philanthropists. But he also said he instructed his military “to prepare for any operation, short or long, that might be necessary” if the truce breaks down as several previous ones have.
In Gaza, Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said the truce would ease the lives of Gazans, but success or failure was in Israel’s hands.
On Wednesday, violence was still in evidence. The military said at least 40 rockets and 10 mortar shells exploded in Israel by nightfall, an especially high one-day total.
Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for much of the rocket fire, saying it was to avenge Israeli airstrikes that killed 10 militants in the previous two days. Israel hit back with two more airstrikes, wounding two Palestinians, according to Hamas security officials.
A cease-fire in November 2006 lasted only weeks before unraveling.
Israel’s call for Lebanon to open talks came after a round of indirect talks between Israel and Syria in Turkey.
Government spokesman Mark Regev said Israel was interested in direct, bilateral talks and ready to put “every issue of contention” on the table, including the dispute over the Chebaa Farms enclave. A U.N.-drawn border calls the 15-square-mile parcel of wasteland part of Syria under Israeli occupation, but Hezbollah insists it belongs to Lebanon and has used it to explain its continuing attacks on Israel.
