There is talk of war again.

Not of agreement.

Hopes that Israel and Lebanon could agree on a maritime border quickly turned to concern.

The indirect negotiations between the two countries, conducted under American mediation – they have been officially at war since 1948 – are on the brink.

It cannot be ruled out that they will fail.

At the beginning of the week, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced that the country was "on the right track".

In Beirut they had agreed on the last change requests, which were sent to the American mediators.

Chief negotiator Elias Bou Saab said it would be "a matter of days, not weeks" if the Lebanese proposals were accepted.

There was talk of “details”.

Christopher Ehrhardt

Correspondent for the Arab countries based in Beirut.

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But on Thursday the cold shower came from Israel.

A government official said Prime Minister Jair Lapid "was briefed on the details of the significant changes Lebanon intends to make to the deal and instructed the negotiating team to reject them."

At the same time, Secretary of Defense Benny Gantz sharpened the tone and spoke of a possible military first strike.

He called on Israeli forces to "prepare for an escalation scenario in the north, both offensively and defensively."

The threat is primarily aimed at the Iran-sponsored Shiite organization Hizbullah, the strongest military force in Lebanon, which maintains a state within a state there.

Hatred of Israel and corresponding fantasies of annihilation are their ideological core.

Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah had repeatedly threatened in the maritime border dispute.

The conflict is not only sensitive because Israel and Hizbullah have been walking a tightrope on the edge of a military confrontation for years.

This could easily escalate into a war that would bring great destruction to Lebanon from Israeli airstrikes.

Israeli cities were threatened with massive rocket fire from Hezbollah.

There are also two natural gas fields under the seabed in the disputed sea areas.

An agreement could calm the situation in the border region

In one of them, the Karish field, Israel has begun preparations for exploitation.

Hezbollah has repeatedly threatened attacks if they launch without an agreement.

And Israel threatens severe retaliation if they do.

The Israeli government has also sharpened its tone again on the question of imminent exploitation.

A government official announced that gas would be extracted from the Karisch field "as soon as possible".

"If Hezbollah or anyone else tries to damage the Karish facility or threaten us, the sea border negotiations will be halted immediately."

Such statements are a sensitive damper on the hope of Western governments.

An agreement could calm the situation in the border region.

Hizbullah repeatedly exposes the UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL there.

It has recently set up shooting ranges in what is actually a demilitarized zone and has expanded its positions.

"There has always been tension and a risk of war - it was only covered by the negotiations," says one diplomat.