Lebanon's Hezbollah can stop Israeli
gas extraction from disputed field, chief says
gas extraction from disputed field, chief says
This file photo taken on June 3, 2022 and obtained from Egypt's Suez Canal Authority shows a tugboat pulling an Energean floating production storage and offloading ship along the Suez Canal - SUEZ CANAL AUTHORITY/AFP/File
Thu, June 9, 2022
(Reuters) - The head of Lebanon's Hezbollah said on Thursday that his group could stop Israel from extracting gas from a maritime field that Beirut says lies in disputed waters, adding Hezbollah is "not afraid of war."
Lebanon warned Israel on Sunday against any "aggressive action" in disputed waters where both states hope to develop offshore energy, after a vessel operated by London-based Energean arrived off the coast to produce gas for Israel.
Hezbollah "has the capacity to prevent the enemy from beginning to extract from Karish, and all the enemy's actions will not be able to protect this ship," Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech.
Nasrallah said that "the Greek company," referring to Energean, "is a partner in this attack on Lebanon," for which it will face "consequences."
Energean was not immediately available for comment.
Vehicles drive past billboards depicting Lebanon's
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah
Energean has said that its floating production storage and offloading vessel is due to start production at Karish in the third quarter.
Israel says that the field in question, which is about 80 km (50 miles) west of the city of Haifa, is within its exclusive economic zone, not in disputed waters.
The United States began mediating indirect talks between the sides in 2000 to settle a long-running dispute that has obstructed energy exploration in the eastern Mediterranean.
Lebanon has yet to respond to an undisclosed proposal a U.S. envoy made early this year to revive the stalled talks.
Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri said on Tuesday that U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein will visit Beirut early next week but Washington has said there are no travel plans to announce yet.
(Reporting by Laila Bassam; Writing by Maya Gebeily and Lina Najem; Editing by Chris Reese and Grant McCool)
Lebanon should block Israel gas extraction move: Hezbollah chief
AFP , Thursday 9 Jun 2022
Lebanon should block Israel from extracting gas from a disputed offshore field, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said Thursday, warning a hydrocarbon exploration company hired by Israel against proceeding with its activities.
Lawmakers from the Hezbollah parliamentary block headed by Mohammed Raad, right, arrive to attend the election of the house speaker, at the parliament building, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, May 31, 2022. AP
"The immediate objective should be to prevent the enemy from extracting oil and gas from the Karish gas field," part of which is claimed by Lebanon, Nasrallah said in a televised speech.
Hezbollah will not "stand by and do nothing in the face of (Israel's) looting of Lebanon's natural wealth... which is the only hope for the salvation of the Lebanese people", he warned.
Nasrallah's remarks are his first since a gas production vessel operated by London-listed Energean Plc arrived in the Karish gas field on Sunday.
He said extraction should halt pending the completion of maritime border negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, and warned Energean against proceeding.
The company "should pull out its ship immediately and avoid getting involved in this aggression and provocation against Lebanon", the head of the powerful Iran-backed Shiite movement said, adding that Energean must assume "full responsibility" for its involvement.
Following the ship's arrival, Lebanese authorities on Monday called for US envoy Amos Hochstein to visit Beirut to relaunch maritime border negotiations.
Parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri said Hochstein was due to arrive in the coming days but there has been no official confirmation from Washington.
On Thursday, President Michel Aoun said that Lebanon would ask Hochstein to "resume efforts to relaunch indirect negotiations" with Israel.
Lebanon wants a deal that would allow it to "invest in its offshore oil and gas resources and safeguard security and stability in the border area," Aoun said in a statement.
His comments came a day after Israel restated its view that Karish "is a strategic asset of the state of Israel" and stressed it was "prepared to defend" the site.
Lebanon and Israel last fought a war in 2006, have no diplomatic relations and are separated by a UN-patrolled border.
They had resumed negotiations over their maritime frontier in 2020 but the process was stalled by Beirut's claim that the map used by the United Nations in the talks needed modifying.
Lebanon initially demanded 860 square kilometres (330 square miles) of territory in the disputed maritime area but then asked for an additional 1,430 square kilometres, including part of Karish.
AFP , Thursday 9 Jun 2022
Lebanon should block Israel from extracting gas from a disputed offshore field, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said Thursday, warning a hydrocarbon exploration company hired by Israel against proceeding with its activities.
Lawmakers from the Hezbollah parliamentary block headed by Mohammed Raad, right, arrive to attend the election of the house speaker, at the parliament building, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, May 31, 2022. AP
"The immediate objective should be to prevent the enemy from extracting oil and gas from the Karish gas field," part of which is claimed by Lebanon, Nasrallah said in a televised speech.
Hezbollah will not "stand by and do nothing in the face of (Israel's) looting of Lebanon's natural wealth... which is the only hope for the salvation of the Lebanese people", he warned.
Nasrallah's remarks are his first since a gas production vessel operated by London-listed Energean Plc arrived in the Karish gas field on Sunday.
He said extraction should halt pending the completion of maritime border negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, and warned Energean against proceeding.
The company "should pull out its ship immediately and avoid getting involved in this aggression and provocation against Lebanon", the head of the powerful Iran-backed Shiite movement said, adding that Energean must assume "full responsibility" for its involvement.
Following the ship's arrival, Lebanese authorities on Monday called for US envoy Amos Hochstein to visit Beirut to relaunch maritime border negotiations.
Parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri said Hochstein was due to arrive in the coming days but there has been no official confirmation from Washington.
On Thursday, President Michel Aoun said that Lebanon would ask Hochstein to "resume efforts to relaunch indirect negotiations" with Israel.
Lebanon wants a deal that would allow it to "invest in its offshore oil and gas resources and safeguard security and stability in the border area," Aoun said in a statement.
His comments came a day after Israel restated its view that Karish "is a strategic asset of the state of Israel" and stressed it was "prepared to defend" the site.
Lebanon and Israel last fought a war in 2006, have no diplomatic relations and are separated by a UN-patrolled border.
They had resumed negotiations over their maritime frontier in 2020 but the process was stalled by Beirut's claim that the map used by the United Nations in the talks needed modifying.
Lebanon initially demanded 860 square kilometres (330 square miles) of territory in the disputed maritime area but then asked for an additional 1,430 square kilometres, including part of Karish.
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