Israel reaches historic agreement with Lebanon

Tel Aviv: Israel has reached a historic agreement on maritime border demarcation with Lebanon, Prime Minister Yair Lapid said on Tuesday.
“This is a historic achievement that will bolster Israel’s security, bring billions into the Israeli economy and bring stability to the northern border,” Lapid said in a statement, as quoted by his office, adding that the deal will be submitted to the government for approval soon.
The office specified that the draft agreement “meets all the security and economic principles laid out by Israel” and it would be submitted for approval to the Security Cabinet and the government on Wednesday.
Lapid’s office specified that intensive negotiations through US mediator Amos Hochstein between Lebanon and the Israeli negotiating team led by National Security Council head Eyal Hulata took place over the weekend and the Sukkot holiday.
At the same time, Lebanon is also content with the agreement, as all of its demands have been taken into account, according to the office of Lebanese President Michel Aoun.
The negotiations on the demarcation of land and maritime borders between Lebanon and Israel have been taking place in Naqoura since 1996 on the basis of the memorandum of understanding under the UN auspices and the US mediation. In June 2022, Israel urged the Lebanese authorities to speed up the talks. It called the Karish gas field its strategic asset and assured Lebanon of the absence of plans to produce gas in the disputed territory. (UNI/SPUTNIK)