The Israeli army's shelling of the positions of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was a "mistake," and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the country's Foreign Ministry are negotiating to prevent similar incidents, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said.
"It was a mistake. It is not our policy to attack UNIFIL. We are currently working on a solution to this problem. The IDF is negotiating with UNIFIL, and the Foreign Ministry is also negotiating a solution to this problem," Katz said in an interview with the Welt newspaper on Wednesday.
Katz noted that the main problem is that Lebanese movement Hezbollah operates in close proximity to UNIFIL bases.
"They are doing this because they want Israel to act against UNIFIL. However, since UNIFIL does not want to leave these places, we are now working on a solution to the problem," Katz added.
The minister believes that military actions in southern Lebanon will continue for several more weeks.
"Our interests are not in a political solution in Lebanon, but in our security and the return of our citizens to a safe life," he said.
Moreover, the IDF earlier said it had struck alleged fighters operating in a command center for the Palestinian Hamas movement located in a hospital in the Gaza Strip.
Reacting to this attack, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that there is no justification for attacks on civilian facilities and crowded places.
"Our position is consistent and principled: we have repeatedly said that violence against civilians, indiscriminate attacks on civilian facilities, crowded places are not and cannot be justified. Such actions by the military go beyond the framework of both humanitarian law and universal morality," Zakharova said.