Israel’s response to Lebanon’s demands regarding maritime border demarcation is awaited, the Lebanese group Hezbollah expressed on Tuesday.
In a televised speech, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said, “Lebanon and its people will no longer accept the looting of maritime wealth.”
He added, “We are ready to look at any possibility. The hand extended to plunder any of Lebanon’s natural wealth will be cut off as was the case when our lands were invaded.”
Any attack against Lebanon “will not pass unpunished or unanswered,” Nasrallah warned.
According to maps sent by both counties to the UN in 2011, Lebanon and Israel are engaged in a dispute over a maritime area that is 860 square kilometers (332 square miles).
Five sessions of indirect negotiations were held between Lebanon and Israel on the area rich in natural gas and oil under UN sponsorship and US mediation. Due to major differences, the last round of talks took place in May 2021 without a breakthrough.
A new proposal for demarcating the maritime border with Israel was presented by US mediators, Lebanese Energy Minister Walid Fayad said last week.
The maintaining of Lebanon’s complete right in the disputed Qana gas field along with a change on line 23, a change that eventually would allow ceding part of the disputed Karish gas field to Israel, was called for by the proposal.
