Lebanon receives US mediator proposals for maritime border with Israel: presidency

Lebanese President Michel Aoun has received a letter from US mediator Amos Hochstein regarding proposals for the demarcation of a maritime border with Israel, the presidency said on Saturday on Twitter.

The letter was passed onto Aoun via US ambassador to Beirut Dorothy Shea, who also met with Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

الرئيس عون استقبل سفيرة الولايات المتحدة الأميركية في لبنان دوروثي شيا وتسلم منها رسالة خطية من الوسيط الاميركي اموس هوكستين حول الاقتراحات المتعلقة بترسيم الحدود البحرية الجنوبية pic.twitter.com/vQL7WDcpK2

— Lebanese Presidency (@LBpresidency) October 1, 2022

Lebanon and Israel have been locked in US-mediated negotiations to delineate a shared maritime border that would help determine which oil and gas resources belong to which country and pave the way for more exploration.

Hochstein has been shuttling between Lebanon and Israel - enemy states with a history of conflict - in a bid to forge a compromise.

The head of Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah, which has warned against any Israeli exploration and extraction in the disputed waters, said the receipt of the letter was "a very important step".

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech that the coming days would be crucial.

Lebanese officials have demanded a written version of the proposal before providing a final answer, a political source with knowledge of the talks said.

A deal could defuse a potential source of conflict between Israel and the heavily armed Hezbollah.

(Reuters)