Posted on 08/22/22
| News Source: JNS
The Israel Defense Forces is on high alert amid fears that Hezbollah could launch an attack in a bid to derail an emerging maritime border deal between Jerusalem and Beirut that would end a longstanding dispute over contested offshore natural-gas deposits, local media reported on Monday.
Israel and Lebanon have for more than a year been engaged in intermittent indirect talks mediated by the United States aimed at resolving the issue.
According to reports, the sides are nearing a compromise regarding the Karish field, in particular, which Israel considers to be in its exclusive economic zone but the Lebanese government claims sovereignty over.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah has upped his rhetoric ahead of a possible breakthrough in the negotiations, having previously threatened war over the matter.
“The new equation is, Karish, what’s beyond Karish, and what’s beyond, beyond Karish,” said Nasrallah in remarks last month made available by the Lebanese Naharnet news website.