Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Saturday that Israel regrets the deaths of three Egyptian policemen who were killed on Thursday by Israel Defense Forces soldiers on Thursday.

IDF soldiers fired across the Israel-Egypt border as they intercepted the terrorist cell behind the attacks near Eilat in which eight Israelis were killed.

The deaths of the three Egyptians fueled a demand from Egypt for an apology and gave rise to a report that Egypt was to recall its ambassador to Israel, which was later denied by the Egyptian government.

“Israel regrets the deaths of the three Egyptian policemen during the attack on the Israel-Egypt border,” Barak said on Saturday.

Barak ordered the IDF to investigate the incident after which a joint investigation will be conducted with the Egyptian military to determine the circumstances of the incident.

Barak noted the importance of the Israel-Egypt peace agreement and expressed appreciation for the “discretion and responsibility” shown by Egypt.

For more, see Haaretz.com

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