ISRAEL The Lebanese government against Hezbollah, for a raid on the deposit disputed with Israel

For the first time, state institutions openly attack the pro-Iranian party. They question the launch of three (unarmed) drones in the direction of Karish, a maritime area rich in gas, disputed with the Jewish State. As a background, the mediation of the United States for the demarcation of the borders between the two nations.

Beirut () – For the first time in such an open way, the Lebanese government yesterday publicly disavowed a recent Hezbollah military initiative. Through the mouth of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdallah Bou Habib, loyal to President Michel Aoun, the country of cedars defined as “unacceptable” the launch of three drones -two days earlier- by Hezbollah on a reconnaissance mission near the site “Karish” gas station off the Israeli coast. The government considers that it is an interference in the indirect negotiations initiated between Lebanon and Israel, with the mediation of the United States, for the demarcation of the maritime borders between both nations.

“Any action outside the responsibilities of the State and the diplomatic framework in which the negotiations take place is unacceptable and exposes the country to unnecessary risks,” the Foreign Minister stressed in statements to television, after meeting with Prime Minister Najib Mikati to address the issue. Without being explicit, the minister referred to Hezbollah, which admitted launching “three unarmed drones in the direction of the disputed Karish (gas) field on July 2 to carry out some reconnaissance missions.” The media linked to the pro-Iranian party interpreted this fact as “a warning” addressed to Israel and to the company Energean PLC, owner of the platform that is supposedly going to start gas extraction operations in that field.

An Israeli statement explains that the three drones “that were approaching the waters of Israel’s economic zone” were shot down by the army.

Under the mantle of the state

Bou Habib added that the ongoing negotiations had reached an “advanced” phase, thanks to the efforts of US mediator Amos Hochstein, and called on the parties to “show responsibility” and “respect the fact that everyone, without exception, must respond before the State in matters of negotiations”. Earlier, the minister, on the sidelines of a consultative meeting of the foreign ministers of the Arab countries held on July 2 in Beirut, said that he hoped “to reach an agreement on the demarcation of the maritime borders with Israel in the month of September”.

Lebanese officials’ optimism is based on a statement by US State Department spokesman Ned Price announcing “productive exchanges” between top US adviser on global energy security, Hochstein, and Israeli negotiators. These exchanges, he said, “will advance the goal of bridging the gap between the two sides,” Price stressed. The official also confirmed the US determination to “remain engaged with the parties” to continue negotiations “in the coming days and weeks.”

Negotiations between Lebanon and Israel began in October 2020 but were suspended in May 2021 due to disputes over the Karish gas field. Tensions resurfaced in early June, when a gas exploration and extraction platform leased by the Jewish state arrived in the vicinity of the camp. In response, Lebanon has challenged Israel’s right to start gas extraction until the border conflict is resolved.

Reacting to Hezbollah’s drone reconnaissance mission, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said on July 3, during the first meeting of his new executive, that “Hezbollah […] it undermines Lebanon’s ability to reach an agreement on the maritime border. “Israel will continue to protect itself, and it will also do so with respect to its citizens and property,” he added.

The position of the resigned Lebanese Foreign Minister was welcomed by the Lebanese Forces. “Now it turns out that governments dependent on Hezbollah can no longer ignore his actions,” the party writes in a note. On the opposite front, pro-Hezbollah media lashed out at Bou Habib, claiming that Lebanon is “adjusting to the dictates of the United States.

Holding pattern

Whatever happens, Lebanon awaits Israel’s reaction. During his last visit to Beirut, Hochstein received an official response from the head of state, Michel Aoun. On that occasion, Aoun had demanded that almost the entire Cana hydrocarbon field be handed over to Lebanon, in exchange for the entire Karish field in Israeli hands. The launch of drones by Hezbollah has been interpreted by some observers as a kind of “preemptive reaction” to the bad news from Israel, according to which the Jewish state rejected the Lebanese offer. At the same time, the latter claims that it has the right to 25% of the production of the Cana gas field – this, because a part of the site would be within its exclusive maritime zone, according to the border demarcation entrusted to the UN.

According to other sources reported by the press, the official Lebanese reaction came after the United States threatened to extend economic sanctions against Hezbollah, a terrorist organization, according to Washington, to the entire Lebanese exclusive economic zone. The decision would make any hydrocarbon exploration work in the waters of its exclusive economic zone impossible for Lebanon.