Gas drilling company Energean is about to begin testing the Karish fuel rig pipeline, according to Israeli television reports on Saturday, despite rising tensions with Lebanon over the site as the sides continue to struggle to reach an agreement on the maritime border.
Channel Twelfth reported that Israeli security had given the company the green light to begin testing. Kan News reported that they could start as early as Sunday. Full operations could begin within a few weeks once testing is complete.
Karish’s fuel box has been in the middle of a dispute with Lebanon over fuel drilling rights, with the terrorist organization Hezbollah warning it could strike if fuel extraction begins without an agreement on drilling rights.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Israel would continue its extraction plans even if no deal is reached and warned Hezbollah that any attack would be met with a “resolute” response.
“If Hezbollah makes this mistake and attacks Israel in any way, by air, sea or land, Israel will resolutely protect itself, attack resolutely, and if things turn into a wider conflict, we will separate Lebanon, and that would be a shame. ” he told the Twelfth Channel.
He said he hoped a deal would be signed soon, but claimed Lebanon had issued new “warnings that we did not approve. “
“We said it and now it’s in Lebanon’s hands,” Gantz said.
In a separate interview with Kan, Gantz said: “If we reach an agreement with the Lebanese government, it will be smart for either side. This will be smart for stability and will serve all players.
He said Israel was “not worried” about Hezbollah’s threats. “We continue to make it transparent that Israel is in a position to reach an agreement, [but] Israel is determined to maintain its economic and security interests. “
Gantz also rejected opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu’s complaint about the proposed deal. The former prime minister accused the government of haggling over Israel’s “sovereign territory” and said he would be obliged to do so if he returns to power.
Gantz played down Saturday’s comments, saying Netanyahu would have “rushed to sign” such an agreement and insisted it served the country’s economic and security interests. He said the former prime minister “engaged only in political manipulation. “
On Saturday, Gantz invited Netanyahu to a security briefing to provide the main points on the proposed deal.
On Friday, U. S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nestes also dismissed right-wing claims that the deal was for Hezbollah.
“It’s ridiculous,” Nides told JTA. Il also said Netanyahu “supported a deal a few years ago. “
On Friday, Lebanon gave the impression of backing its position on the proposed maritime deal despite pressure signaled by Biden’s leadership to abandon some of its demands.
The Hezbollah-linked Al-Akhbar newspaper quoted a Lebanese official as telling U. S. mediator Amos Hochstein that “Lebanon has no intention of making its comments disappear” on the deal. The unnamed Lebanese official added that “it is up to the United States to keep its promise and take care of the challenge with Israel. “
Despite indications this week that the deal was about to close, it has since appeared to falter as Lebanese negotiators insist on some changes that were rejected by Prime Minister Yair Lapid.
According to Kan, Biden’s management urged Lebanon to abandon some of its demands because Hochstein remained in direct contact with both sides.
While the precise issues of dispute over the deal have yet to be confirmed, Al-Akhbar reported Tuesday that Beirut had agreed to recognize the border marked through an Israeli buoy, which Jerusalem unilaterally placed five kilometers (3. 1 miles) from the northern city of Rosh. Hanikra in 2000. — as a foreign border.
The report also stated that Beirut opposed the concept of demarcating a land border as a component of the agreement and argued that the factor would be reserved for discussions with the United Nations.
On Thursday, when the maritime deal stalled, Gantz put IDF forces on high alert after conducting an assessment of the scenario with army leader Aviv Kohavi.
“The defense minister has instructed the IDF to prepare for an escalating situation in the north, either offensively or defensively, given the evolution of negotiations on the maritime border,” said a member of Gantz’s workplace.
The Times of Israel contributed to this report.
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