Israel's regret over border attack not enough

Egypt said late Saturday that Israel's regret over the killing of Egyptian soldiers by Israeli gunfire was "not enough." Though the regret was a positive sign, it was still insufficient given the seriousness of the incident and Egyptian anger over the deed, Egypt's official MENA news agency said. The statement was made by a ministerial crisis management committee after a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Essam Sharaf. The committee reiterated the country's willingness to maintain peace with Israel, but said that Israel was responsible for protecting the peace. The Egyptian government regarded the agreement to hold a joint probe into the incident as a basic step to prevent a repeat of such incidents, the report said. An Egyptian army officer and four soldiers in Egyptian territory were killed and several others injured during clashes between the Israeli security forces and armed groups inside the Israeli territories at the border sign No. 79, Egyptian Information Minister Osama Hikal said. Egypt on Saturday asked for an official apology from Israel over the incident and summoned an Israeli diplomat in Cairo. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Saturday that Israel regretted the deaths of Egyptian soldiers during fire exchanges between the Israeli troops and militants. "Israel regrets the death of Egyptian officers during the terror attack at the border," Barak said in a statement issued after a special situation assessment by Israeli military and intelligence officials. Hundreds of Egyptians continued to protest at the Israeli embassy in Cairo late on Saturday, demanding the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador. Armored vehicles and troops were deployed to protect the building. One protester managed to climb onto the roof of the tall building and took down the Israeli flag to replace it with an Egyptian one.