Lebanon has demanded that the US resume indirect negotiations with Israel to demarcate their maritime border on Monday.
The government said in a statement that Prime Minister Najib Mikati met with President Michel Aoun to discuss developments linked to a disputed maritime area with Israel and agreed to ask US mediator Amos Hochstein to resume his efforts.
Mikati also held a series of “diplomatic meetings” on the topic with the UN and other concerned states, according to the statement, which did not provide any other specifics.
“Any exploration or drilling operation by Israel in the disputed zone is a provocative and hostile act […] and obstructs the maritime border negotiations,” the statement stated.
Any exploration or drilling operation by Israel in the disputed zone is a provocative and hostile act […] that obstructs maritime border negotiations, according to the statement.
The passage of a ship dubbed Energean Power into the disputed territory between Lebanon and Israel heightened tensions on Sunday, with the Lebanese president condemning the move as “provocative and aggressive.”
According to maps submitted to the United Nations in 2011, Lebanon and Israel are fighting over an 860 square kilometre maritime territory.
Natural gas and oil are abundant in the area. Under UN sponsorship and US intervention, Lebanon and Israel held five sessions of indirect negotiations.
