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Lebanon expects US mediator offer for maritime border with Israel within days

September 26, 2022 at 4:00 pm

US Senior Advisor for Energy Security Amos Hochstein on August 01, 2022 [Lebanese Presidency/Anadolu Agency]

Lebanon expects a written offer from US mediator, Amos Hochstein, concerning the demarcation of a maritime border with Israel by the end of the week, Lebanon’s presidency tweeted on Monday, Reuters reports.

Lebanon’s Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Elias Bou Saab, met with Hochstein last week during a visit to New York and briefed President Michel Aoun on the outcome, the presidency added.

Lebanon warns Israel against aggressive action in their disputed waters – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/Middle East Monitor]

A US embassy official told Reuters that Hochstein was continuing “his robust engagement to bring the maritime boundary discussions to a close”.

“We continue to narrow the gaps between the parties and believe a lasting compromise is possible,” the official said.

Hochstein has been shuttling between Lebanon and Israel – enemy states with a history of conflict – in a bid to forge a compromise over the maritime boundary that would allow both to explore for offshore energy reserves.

A deal could defuse a potential source of conflict between Israel and the heavily armed, Iran-backed Lebanese group, Hezbollah, which has warned against any Israeli exploration and extraction in the disputed waters.

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