Israeli officials believe that the maritime border dispute with Lebanon is “on the verge of a solution,” Israeli media reported on Tuesday.
U.S. Senior Adviser for Energy Security Amos Hochstein is due to visit Lebanon next week, according to Kan News, and will arrive with a draft compromise proposal enabling both countries to drill for gas in the Karish gas field.
“In Israel, the declarations by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah are being viewed as an attempt to frame the latest development, so that if an agreement is reached on the maritime dispute, it will be [seen as being] due to his declarations and actions,” the officials told Kan.
At the same time, an Israeli senior official said that any attack by Hezbollah on the Karish offshore gas platform will be met with a military response.
The Israel Defense Forces has in recent days raised its readiness around the gas platform further, and mobilized navy and air force assets to the area.
Nasrallah on Monday threatened war if Israel begins extracting gas from its offshore Karish field without first resolving the maritime border dispute with Lebanon.
