dpa
Tel Aviv
Israel is preparing to tap the Karish gas field in the Mediterranean Sea in the coming days, an Energy Ministry spokesperson said on Sunday.
Though no specific timetable has been set, any move to link up to the gas field is likely to be unpopular in Lebanon, where Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has said that no gas can flow until negotiations demarcating the two countries’ claims are complete.
“Our eyes and our rockets are pointed at Karish,” said Nasrallah, who holds no official role in Lebanese politics, but remains one of the country’s most powerful men because of the militia he leads.
According to sources, Israel merely wants to test the gas platform and the pipeline, but not draw gas. The test would actually send gas from land to the platform, in order to test the system. Nasrallah has said pumping gas would cross a red line.
The US has mediated talks about the sea border for two years. Nailing down the border has become even more pressing since the gas field discovery. If both countries could start pumping from areas recognized under their control, they would be offering a key resource that has grown scarce amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
But the exact line of control is contested. In July, Israel had to shoot down multiple drones sent by Hezbollah at the Karish platform.
