Israeli media: Gas extraction from the Karish platform may be delayed

Israeli media reported on an Israeli security meeting held to discuss the indirect negotiations with Lebanon regarding territorial waters and the Karish gas platform, revealing that Israeli ministers were informed that gas extraction from the Karish platform might be delayed.

Israeli Channel 13 said Hezbollah's threats regarding the Karish platform and negotiations on the maritime borders between "Israel" and Lebanon were widely discussed in a very long presentation.

The due date for gas extraction from the Karish platform is in September.

According to the Israeli channel, there was also an important discussion over Lebanon and Hezbollah, in terms of differentiating between Lebanon and Hezbollah or not.

Channel 13 said the Israeli security officials warned the Israeli security cabinet that an escalation with Hezbollah is likely if an agreement is not reached with Lebanon.

Israeli media said that "Tel Aviv" was pressuring the US to reach an agreement with Lebanon before September, the date when the extraction of oil from the Karish platform starts.

The media quoted security sources as saying that the United States would propose a settlement regarding the maritime border demarcation negotiations and that the final decision would be this week.

Israeli official: Border agreement with Lebanon is complete surrender

Israeli media quoted Tuesday a senior Israeli official in the gas sector as saying that the maritime border demarcation agreement that is taking shape with Lebanon is a complete surrender by "Israel".

The official was quoted by Yinon Magal, a journalist for the Israeli Channel 14, on his Twitter account.

The Israeli official considered that the agreement is a complete surrender by Israeli occupation Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Israeli Security Minister Benny Gantz to Lebanon, noting that "Israel's" submission is a great victory for Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

The official warned that if "Israel" conducts similar negotiations on other matters, the situation will be very worrying.

Lebanon rejects Israeli offer on demarcation of borders

A Lebanese diplomatic source confirmed on Monday that Lebanon "rejected an Israeli offer to give Beirut part of Block 8 north of Line 23", in exchange for "Israel's relinquishment of the Qana gas field."

The source told the Russian news agency Sputnik that "the Israeli offer includes Israel's relinquishment of the Qana field in return for Line 23, minus an area that must be ceded located north of the line, specifically the southwestern part of Block 8."

The source explained that "the Israeli offer was rejected by Beirut," adding that "Lebanon stuck to its right in the Qana field and refused to give up any square meter in Block 8."

Al Mayadeen's correspondent confirmed Monday that Hochstein's meeting with the three heads of political power in Lebanon ended and no final result was reported, noting that "no agreement has been reached yet, but only talks about the need for more time."

Lebanese sources told Al Mayadeen's correspondent that the US mediator wants to reach a quick solution before summer ends and that the atmosphere was positive.

A couple of days ago, "Israel" submitted a proposal to the United States, and senior Israeli officials said that "Israel's position entails confirmation that it is ready to offer concessions regarding the disputed area with Lebanon, but it will not offer any concessions outside the disputed area."

Yediot Ahronoth also claimed that the Israeli occupation is optimistic about the maritime border negotiations with Lebanon.

It is noteworthy that the military media unit of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon had published a video displaying footage of the drillship and the floating production unit alongside information pertaining to the specifics of their geolocation, giving their coordinates and information regarding the origin and details of the ships at sea based on the flags they bear. Moreover, the video displayed the exact distance of each ship from Lebanese shores.

The media wing of the Islamic resistance in #Lebanon publishes a video showing the Israeli occupation's gas rigs off the coast of occupied #Palestine as well as the coordinates of the facilities.
The #Karish rig and its ships are in the resistance's crosshair. https://t.co/PFnWsJW5GG
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) July 31, 2022

The video was entitled: "[You are] in our crosshair... stalling is not beneficial."