Lebanese President Michel Aoun

Lebanese President Michel Aoun said that he hopes to complete all arrangements related to the demarcation of the southern maritime border in the next few days after the indirect negotiations led by US mediator Amos Hockstein have made progress.

President Aoun pointed to the narrowing of the gaps that were negotiated over the past week.

He also considered that reaching an agreement on the demarcation of the southern maritime borders means the launch of the process of oil and gas exploration in the Lebanese fields located within the exclusive economic zone, which will achieve the beginning of a new impetus to the process of economic progress, according to the President.

الرئيس عون خلال استقباله بطريرك بيت كيليكيا للأرمن الكاثوليك البطريرك روفائيل بيدروس الحادي والعشرين ميناسيان: نأمل في انجاز كل الترتيبات المتعلقة بترسيم الحدود البحرية الجنوبية خلال أيام بعدما قطعت المفاوضات غير المباشرة شوطاً متقدماً pic.twitter.com/Y4s4c8iMg7
— Lebanese Presidency (@LBpresidency) October 10, 2022

Yesterday, the Lebanese Presidency announced that President Aoun received a call from the US mediator Amos Hochstein, in which he briefed him on the recent results of the contacts on the demarcation of the maritime border with occupied Palestine.

The Presidency added that Hochstein confirmed to President Aoun the conclusion of the discussion rounds and the identification of remarks, stating that he will send the final version within a few hours.

In response, the Lebanese presidency said in its statement that Lebanon will carefully examine the final version of Hochstein's proposal in preparation for taking the appropriate relevant decision.

Israeli media said that the Lebanese maritime border agreement strengthens Hezbollah's position inside Lebanon, stressing that Hezbollah has once again proven that it can achieve its political and strategic goals in Lebanon and the region thanks to its military strength that cannot be dissuaded or weakened.

An Israeli expert on Arab affairs, Yoni Ben-Menachem, said on Twitter that the Biden administration is pressuring "Israel" to approve the draft maritime border agreement with Lebanon, despite the revisions that Lebanon made to the proposal.

Ben-Menachem noted that Hezbollah is credited with achieving the agreement and presenting it as a victory.

It is noteworthy that the company working in the Karish rig, Energean, released a statement yesterday announcing that it has launched the testing process of the rig; however, "Israel" told the US that the injections are merely a test and that oil production will not happen today in a clear attempt to relay a message to Hezbollah that it has not yet crossed the red lines.