Hezbollah Secretary-General Hasan Nasrallah threatened to attack Israel over its dispute with Lebanon on the maritime border and the natural resources in the area, and declared that “if Lebanon is prevented from extracting its maritime resources, Israel will not be able to sell gas and oil.”
The common Israel-Lebanon maritime boundary is not agreed upon between the two countries. The issue has been under discussion for over a decade. The focus of both sides is the oil and gas discoveries in the territorial waters which are under dispute.
In recent years, the two countries held talks, mediated by the US and hosted by the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL) at Rosh Hanikra. Amos Hochstein, the Biden administration’s Special Envoy for International Energy, is currently serving as mediator.
“The new equation is Karish, what’s beyond Karish and what’s beyond, beyond Karish” will be attacked, Nasrallah declared ominously.
Israel has recently commenced actions to develop the Karish gas field in the area, and Hezbollah is now threatening war.
In a televised speech on Wednesday, Nasrallah stated that the Hezbollah terror organization is “monitoring all the Zionist platforms across the occupied Palestinian coast,” and that it “may resort to ground, maritime or air forces in order to attack the enemy and secure Lebanon’s rights”.
“The new equation is Karish, what’s beyond Karish and what’s beyond, beyond Karish” will be attacked, he declared ominously. “Hezbollah will do whatever serves the negotiations with the appropriate size and timing.”
Hezbollah has already attacked the Karish rig twice. On June 29, the IDF intercepted a Hezbollah drone on its way from Lebanon toward the Karish gas field, situated off Israel’s northern shore.
A few days later, Hezbollah dispatched another three drones toward the gas field. The three were interpreted by the IDF. Israel has yet to respond to any of the attacks.
“The maritime border demarcation is momentous and is the sole way to save Lebanon and its people. It is not psychological warfare,” he said. Lebanon is facing financial ruination and is heavily banking on the development of its natural resources.
He pointed out that in September, Israel will start extracting gas and oil from Karish, “which will make it so hard for Lebanon to restore its rights. If you do not prove your rights before September, things will be costly after this deadline.”
He accused Hochstein of “not working as a mediator, rather as a party serving the Israeli interests,” describing his statements about Lebanese rights as “rude and disrespectful.”
He called on the Lebanese leadership to rely on Hezbollah as “a strength card in the negotiations,” and warned that the drone attacks on the Karish rig were “the first and would be followed by escalating acts that guarantee the Lebanese rights.”
“War [with Israel] and martyrdom are better than death from hunger and during civil brawls at bakeries and gas stations [in Lebanon,” he declared.
