Maritime negotiations 'in their final phase,' says Aoun

BEIRUT — Lebanon's President Michel Aoun said Monday that maritime border negotiations between Lebanon and Israel are "in their final phase," according to a statement from the president.

Tensions between the two countries have been high since the arrival of a floating production and storage vessel in the Karish natural gas field, which was deployed June 5 on behalf of the Israeli state. Energean, a London-based oil drilling and gas wells company, announced earlier this month that it was track to start production in the Karish gas "within weeks." 

"The negotiations on the maritime border are in their final phase, in order to guarantee Lebanon's rights in the exploitation of gas and oil," said Aoun during a meeting with the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Joanna Wronecka, in Baabda.

His statement comes amidst heightened tensions between the Israeli authorities and Hezbollah, who regularly exchange threats. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah reiterated his threats last week.

"Our red line is the beginning of the exploitation of oil and gas in Karish. We have our eyes on Karish, and our missiles too," said Nasrallah. However, he left the door open for negotiations past his self-declared September deadline.

During a recent visit to Lebanon, US envoy Amos Hochstein, who heads the indirect border negotiations, reported "very good progress" but tempered his remarks by saying "there is still work to do."

"Coordination between the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the Lebanese Army is necessary to ensure the success of its mission to protect security and peace on the borders," Aoun also said during his Monday meeting with Wronecka.

UNIFIL's mandate, which was criticized by Nasrallah, was recently extended until 2023.