The Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz pointed out in an article that “Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Najib Mikati yesterday accused Israel of violating Lebanese sovereignty over its territorial waters after it entered a new Israeli gas drilling platform. area between the two countries.
The newspaper pointed out that the British-Greek energy company Energean, which has held the rights to the Karish gas fields since 2016, installed a rig about 80km west of Haifa yesterday, explaining that “in the coming days, workers will connect the platform,” the gas fields, and the drilling rig is expected to start operating within the next three months.”
“The Israeli Navy has guarded the drilling rig since it left the Suez Canal. Last week, the Knesset Economics Committee approved rules prohibiting offshore traffic within a radius around the rig – as is common with active rigs,” she said, noting that “Lebanon claims Israeli naval battleships are already in place. that protect the rig before it is connected to the gas tanks.
The newspaper pointed out that “Israel has previously stated that any damage to its gas installations will be considered a declaration of war.”
She noted that “Israeli military officials have recently informed Lebanon that a new gas installation will soon start operating in the area, and they believe that they have no intention of attacking the drilling installations during the work.”
And he considered that “Israel has not formally responded to the Lebanese allegations and is not going to do so at the present time in order to avoid legitimizing the claim that the area is indeed disputed.”
Source: El Nashra