London-based Energean’s drill ship begins drilling at the Karish gas field in the east Mediterranean on May 9, 2022. (Credit: Ari Rabinovitch/Reuters)
BEIRUT — Both President Michel Aoun and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Monday that they agreed to invite Amos Hochstein, the US mediator of Lebanon’s maritime borders negotiations with Israel, to Beirut “in order to discuss proceeding with the maritime borders negotiations in the south and working on finishing them as fast as possible,” the presidency and the prime ministry’s twitter accounts reported Monday.
Here’s what we know:
• On Sunday, a floating production, storage and offloading unit from the Energean Power company arrived at part of Israel’s disputed exclusive economic zone with Lebanon to begin exploiting the Karish gas field on behalf of the Israeli state, provoking indignant reactions from Lebanese officials.
• On Monday, Mikati said in his tweet that the move to invite Hochstein was made “to prevent any escalation that will not serve the stability that the region is experiencing.”
• For his part, Aoun said Monday that he has decided to make “a series of diplomatic calls with several countries and the United Nations to explain Lebanon’s stance and to stress its grip on its rights to its maritime [hydrocarbon] reserves.” Aoun also considered “any search, digging or extracting that Israel proceeds with in the disputed areas as a provocation and an assault that threatens international peace and security.”
• The arrival of the platform in Mediterranean waters takes place while negotiations between Lebanon and Israel have been suspended for months.