Egyptian envoy: Cairo warned Israel

Egypt warned Israel against conducting a large-scale operation in the Gaza Strip, said Yasser Othman, the Egyptian envoy to the Palestinian territories. Othman was referring to Israel's response to a terror attack that killed eight Israelis a week ago near Eilat. Five Egyptians were killed when Israeli troops pursued the attackers. "The Egyptian side has felt after the Eilat operation that Israel intends to [get] revenge, so Egypt has sent a strong message to Israel saying it won't allow an operation to take place," Othman said in an interview with the Ma'an News Agency Wednesday. Othman said Egypt still expects Israel to apologize for its actions. Israel's statements of regret, including those issued by Defense Minister Ehud Barak and President Shimon Peres, are inadequate, he said. "We want a clear, strong apology and a pledge to not repeat such acts in the future."