Najib Mikati’s comment came two days after Hezbollah launched three drones targeting the Karish gas field in the Mediterranean Sea. Israel’s military said on Saturday it shot down the three drones, so Hezbollah issued a statement saying they were unarmed and sent on a reconnaissance mission. “Mission accomplished and message received,” Hezbollah said. Energean Israel, the company that currently operates the Karish gas field, said the gas rig was safe and that its ongoing operations had not been interrupted by the incident. Lebanon claims the Karish gas field is disputed territory in ongoing maritime boundary negotiations, while Israel says it is within its internationally recognized economic waters. Get The Times of Israel Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories By signing up, you agree to the terms “Lebanon believes that any actions outside the state and diplomatic framework while negotiations are underway are unacceptable and expose it to unnecessary risks,” Foreign Minister Abdallah Bouhabib said, citing Mikati’s statement. An Israeli Navy vessel patrols the Mediterranean Sea off the southern Lebanese city of Naqoura, June 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari, File) Israel and Hezbollah are bitter enemies who fought a month-long war in the summer of 2006. Israel considers the group its most serious immediate threat, estimating it has about 150,000 rockets and missiles aimed at Israeli cities. The incident at the Karish gas field came shortly after US mediator Amos Hochstein visited Lebanese and Israeli officials as talks progressed. U.S. energy envoy Amos Hochstein, left, laughs as he meets with outgoing Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, June 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla) Mikati told reporters on Saturday that Lebanon had received “encouraging information” about the border dispute, but declined to comment until he received a “written official response to the Lebanese side’s proposals.” Negotiations between Lebanon and Israel to determine their maritime border began in October 2020, when the two sides held indirect US-brokered talks in southern Lebanon. Since taking over mediation from late 2021, Hochstein has resorted to shuttle diplomacy with visits to both Beirut and Jerusalem. The two countries, which have been officially at war since Israel’s creation in 1948, both claim about 860 square kilometers (330 square miles) of the Mediterranean Sea. Lebanon hopes to tap offshore gas reserves as it faces the worst economic crisis in its modern history. It’s not (only) for you. Supporting The Times of Israel is not a transaction for an online service, such as subscribing to Netflix. The ToI community is for people like you who care about a common good: ensuring that balanced, responsible coverage of Israel continues to be available to millions around the world, for free. Of course, we’ll remove all ads from your page and you’ll get access to some awesome Community-only content. But your support gives you something deeper than that: the pride of participating in something that really matters. Join the Times of Israel Community Join our Community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this You are a devoted reader We are really glad that you read X Times of Israel articles last month. That’s why we started the Times of Israel ten years ago – to provide discerning readers like you with the must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world. So now we have a request. Unlike other media, we have not set up a paywall. But because the journalism we do is expensive, we invite readers to whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community. For just $6 a month you can support our quality journalism by enjoying Times of Israel ADS-FREE, as well as access to exclusive content available only to members of the Times of Israel Community. Thank you, David Horowitz, founding editor of the Times of Israel Join our community Join our community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
