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FM Katz: IDF, Foreign Ministry Discuss Preventing Attacks on UN Peacekeepers
Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the IDF's shelling of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was a "show" and that the Israeli military and Foreign Ministry are in talks to prevent similar incidents.
In an interview with the German newspaper Welt, the minister noted that attacking UNIFIL is not part of Israel's policy. The Jewish state authorities are currently working on a solution to this problem. The IDF and the Foreign Ministry are negotiating with UNIFIL.
When asked why Israel attacked the peacekeepers, Katz replied:
The biggest problem, he said, is that the Lebanese Hezbollah movement operates near UNIFIL bases. But the organization does not want to leave these places, so Israel is working on a solution.
The Israeli Foreign Minister added that he estimated that military action in southern Lebanon would continue for several more weeks. He made it clear that Israel's interest was not in a political solution to the problem of Lebanon, but in the safety of its citizens and a return to a secure life.