Minister Tzachi Hanegbi (Likud) apologizes to the residents of the south for his harsh statement, which implied that the residents of Tel Aviv are more important than the Israelis living in the south.
"To all the residents of the south, to your heart, we salute your heroism and are committed to protecting you, I regret my words, apologize for them and hope that you understand that it was absent-minded," Hanegbi said.