Lebanon warns against Israeli plan

Lebanon has warned against a potential Israeli measure to demarcate maritime borders, saying the move would threaten peace and stability in the region.

Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour made the remarks on Saturday following reports that Tel Aviv was seeking to “impose maritime border realities” with Lebanon through a draft law that will be proposed in the Israeli parliament, Knesset.

Mansour said, “This is a very dangerous decision if adopted by Israel, and it threatens stability, security and peace in the region.”

“Lebanon would be under no obligations and would consider as null any unilateral step taken by Israel to demarcate the maritime borders.”

Mansour also stated that the Israeli measure would “represent a blatant violation to international law, particularly the United Nations maritime agreement of 1982.”

Lebanon and the Israeli regime claim a disputed maritime area in the Mediterranean Sea as part of their respective Exclusive Economic Zones.

The 854-square-kilometer holds large reserves of natural gas that could generate billions of dollars in the future.

Mansour added that Beirut considers any Israeli measure to demarcate the maritime borders “as an aggressive act” and “an act of piracy to the Lebanon oil and gas wealth that would lead to dangerous repercussions to the security, stability and peace in a place where tensions are already elevated.”

“Israel will bear full responsibility for any repercussions from such a move,” he said.

The minister urged all political parties to “fill the present void in the government” to respond to “this new aggression and confront and resist it will all legal means.”

In July, Lebanese caretaker Energy Minister Gebran Bassil said Israel has discovered a new offshore gas field near his country’s territorial waters, which allows Tel Aviv to tap into Lebanon’s oil deposits.