PM Mikati: Israel encroaches on Lebanon's maritime wealth, provoking crisis
Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati says Israel is provoking crisis in disputed waters in the Mediterranean by encroaching on Lebanese resources and maritime wealth.
In a statement on Sunday, the Lebanese premier warned, “The Israeli enemy’s attempts to create a new crisis, by encroaching on Lebanon's maritime wealth, and imposing a fait accompli in a disputed area in which Lebanon adheres to its rights, is extremely dangerous.”
Mikati's remarks came after a natural gas storage and production ship operated by the UK-based Energean arrived earlier in the day at the Karish field, some 80 kilometers west of the port city of Haifa.
The Tel Aviv regime and the international hydrocarbon exploration and production company equally claimed the field in question falls within Israel’s so-called exclusive economic zone. Beirut rejects the claim.
Meanwhile, Lebanon's President Michel Aoun condemned the move by Israel, warning that any activity in the disputed waters would amount to an act of aggression and a provocation.
According to a statement on Twitter by the Lebanese Presidency, Aoun discussed the issue with Mikati regarding the ship’s entry “into the disputed maritime area with Israel, and asked the Army Command to provide him with accurate and official data to build upon the matter.”
“Negotiations to demarcate the southern maritime borders are still ongoing, and any action or activity in the disputed area constitutes a provocation and a hostile act,” Aoun said.
The Israeli regime has not commented on Aoun’s remarks. However, Israeli energy minister Karine Elharrar welcomed the ship’s arrival, saying she hoped it would be brought online quickly.
“We will continue to work to diversify the energy market and maintain stability and reliability,” she added.
The maritime row between Lebanon and Israel is over an area in the Mediterranean Sea spanning about 860 square kilometers. Block No. 9 is rich in oil and gas. Israel relies heavily on gas and has long been developing a number of occupied offshore gas deposits in the Mediterranean Sea.
MG
