JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz declared Monday that any attack on Israel’s gas assets could spark war, after Hezbollah menacingly threatened to “sever” Israel’s hands if it taps the disputed Karish (shark) offshore field.
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The warning came amid lengthy negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, which do not have diplomatic relations, to settle a dispute over their maritime border. Recently Israel shot down four unarmed Hezbollah drones which were flying towards the oil rig, which recently arrived at the Karish field.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said on August 9 that “the hand that reaches for any of this wealth will be severed” and over the weekend warned of an “escalation” if Lebanon’s demands aren’t met in the US-mediated maritime talks. Gantz responded on Israeli radio, stating that a Hezbollah attack could “lead to several days of fighting and a military campaign. We are strong and prepared for this scenario, but we don’t want it.”
Hezbollah has not sparred with the IDF in combat since the 2006 Second Lebanon war but has issued numerous warnings and claims it has thousands of missiles which can target all strategic elements in Israel.
Gantz said extraction from the gas field would begin “when it is ready to produce,” reaffirming Israel’s claim to the disputed site.
“The State of Israel is both ready to protect its assets and ready to reach a deal with the Lebanese government, via American mediation, on the Sidon deposit,” he said, in reference to another gas field known in Lebanon as Qana.
“I believe that in the future, there will be two gas platforms. One on our side, one on theirs. And I hope that we do not have to go through another round of confrontations before then.”
The initial discussions regarding the maritime border focused on a disputed area of 860 square kilometers (332 square miles), in accordance with Lebanon’s claims registered at the UN in 2011. Beirut subsequently requested the area be expanded by a further 1,430 square kilometers, which includes part of the Karish field that Israel states is within its exclusive economic zone recognized by the UN.
Hezbollah, which does not recognize Israel in any manner, has been critical of the Lebanese negotiations with Israel over the border. IDF security forces are on high alert near the northern border amid fears Hezbollah may attempt to launch an attack in order to sabotage the talks.
Israeli defense officials fear Nasrallah may be seeking to provoke Israel one more time in hopes of getting credit for any Israeli concessions before a deal is signed, Channel 12 news reported, without citing a source. The report said the two sides are close to signing an agreement.
US envoy to the talks Amos Hochstein said earlier this month that he was “optimistic” about the deal, and Lebanon’s foreign minister concurred with Hochstein, stating that thte sides were close to an agreement.
Yhe should have said it would be considered an act of war. Stop sugar coating your responses
Lebanon is a failed state. The economy is destroyed. Hezbollah and anti-Zionist forces in Israel are joined at the hip and will be remembered if another war breaks out.
Lebanon will NEVER sign on the dotted line, they’re to afraid of Hezbollah, there life is worth more than any maritime agreement with Israel even when they’re so very desperate for hard currency from the gas field.