Israeli defense minister apologizes for deaths of Egyptian policemen

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak Tuesday issued an apology to Cairo for the deaths of six Egyptian policemen from Israeli defense forces' fire in August. In a statement issued late Tuesday night, Barak said Israel and Egypt have concluded a joint inquiry into the incident, which has raised tension between the two countries. Based on the findings of the investigation, the statement said the defense minister decided to issue an official apology in which he expressed regret over the deaths of the Egyptian border patrol officers. The six Egyptian policemen were killed when Israeli troops were chasing a group of armed men suspected of shooting eight Israelis dead in southern Israel in a series of attacks.