In the wake of the Karish field crisis... an American envoy to Lebanon to discuss the maritime border talks between Tel Aviv and Beirut

The US State Department said that the United States will send an envoy to Lebanon next week to discuss the country's energy crisis and confirm Washington's hope that Beirut and Israel can reach a decision on the demarcation of their maritime borders.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs added in a statement that Amos Hochstein, the ministry's senior adviser on energy security, will visit Lebanon on June 13 and 14.

"The administration welcomes the consultative and frank spirit of the parties to reach a final decision that will lead to greater stability, security, and prosperity for Lebanon, Israel, and the region," the statement said.

Washington began brokering indirect talks on the disputed maritime border between Israel and Lebanon in 2020.

On Thursday, Lebanese President Michel Aoun said that his country would ask the US mediation to re-activate the indirect negotiations with Israel over the demarcation of the maritime borders.

Aoun added that Lebanon wants, through these negotiations, "to be able to invest its oil and gas wealth in Lebanese waters, and to maintain stability and security in the border region."

Hezbollah's objection

Israel urged Lebanon to speed up negotiations on the maritime borders between them, days after Israel brought in a production and storage ship that will extract gas from the Karish field, which Beirut believes is located in a disputed area.

The Lebanese authorities had considered any Israeli activity in the disputed maritime areas a "provocation" and an "aggressive act", calling on the US mediator to come to Beirut to discuss completing the maritime border delimitation negotiations.

On Thursday, Hezbollah called to prevent Israel from extracting gas from the Karish field, warning the company that owns the production and storage vessel that arrived a few days ago in preparation for starting its work at the site.

The Secretary-General of the party, Hassan Nasrallah, said that "the immediate goal should be to prevent the enemy from extracting oil and gas from Karish and to stop this activity, which will or may have begun."

He stressed that "the resistance cannot stand idly by in front of the looting of Lebanon's wealth... and the only hope that saves the Lebanese people."