Lebanon's Hezbollah group threatens to strike a gas rig Israel is setting up in Karish field, which Lebanon says is in a disputed Mediterranean area
The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah group has threatened to strike a gas rig Israel is setting up in the Mediterranean Sea that Lebanon claims is in a disputed maritime area between the two countries.
His speech followed a warning by Lebanese President Michel Aoun last Sunday who said that maritime border negotiations between the two countries have not ended, adding that any move by Israel — such as drilling in the Karish field that Beirut calls disputed — will be considered "a provocation and hostile act."
Nasrallah said Israel should wait for the results of the negotiations and that any drilling that takes place before an agreement will be considered a direct assault on Lebanon. Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser for energy security at the US State Department, is expected to arrive in Beirut in the next few days.The ship and its owners, Nasrallah said, should know that they are "partners in the aggression on Lebanon taking place today," Nasrallah said, calling for its immediate withdrawal from the area.