The Deputy Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sheikh Naim Qassem, discussed during a press briefing the latest in Lebanese internal affairs. 

Qassem told the press "In Lebanon, we are working very hard, with every priority in order to save the country and to elect the president so that the institutions can be organized, once again, and we [Lebanese] can move on from this bitter situation in which we live."

However, according to Qassem, some Lebanese leaders only seek to rule the country even at the cost of burning it down through "sedition, obstruction, lies and misinformation." These people, said the deputy, "lack the ability to rule according to the existing rules that govern the country's dynamics."

As for what related to the announcement of the Minister of Public Works and Transport in Lebanon, Ali Hamieh who had declared the beginning of oil and gas exploration in Lebanon's maritime Block 9 gas field, Qassem states that "some have asked if it is possible for the exploration to continue?"

To that, Qassem responds by reframing the question saying "And who dares to prevent the exploration, whether be it "Israel" or anyone else?" The Deputy asserts that the Lebanese people must "Rest assured as long as the Resistance is in real cohesion [through the equation] of the trio of unity composed of the army, the people and the Resistance, remains present and ready, the response [to the unannounced sanctions] is coming and oil will be extracted and Lebanon will invest it God willing."

Lebanon initiates oil and gas exploration in Block 9

Hamieh announced publicly, on August 16, the arrival of an oil and gas exploration ship at Block 9, marking the initiation of drilling operations.

In a tweet, Hamieh wrote, "The oil and gas exploration ship in Block 9 has reached its designated drilling location," providing this information without delving further into specifics.

In a prior interview with Sputnik, Walid Fayad, Lebanon's Minister of Energy and Water in the caretaker government, revealed that the drilling ship for oil and gas exploration is expected to conclude its drilling and exploration activities within approximately 90 days of commencing operations.

The vessel named "Janus 2," operated by Total Energies in collaboration with Eni and Qatar Petroleum, has successfully finished the environmental survey process within Block 9 of Lebanese waters, as per media reports.

After fulfilling its designated task, the ship arrived at the port of Beirut, undergoing on-site inspection by Minister of Energy and Water Walid Fayad, Minister of Environment Nasser Yassin, Minister of Public Works and Transportation Ali Hamieh, Director-General of the Port of Beirut Omar Ayatani, and representatives from the Petroleum Sector Management Authority. This event also included the participation of officials from various Lebanese departments.

It is noteworthy that TotalEnergies reached a deal with the Lebanese government on the gas field. The initial exploration license for Block number 9 was held by a consortium of TotalEnergies, Italy's Eni, and Russia's Novatek, even though the latter exited the group due to the war in Ukraine.

Through indirect negotiations with the Israeli occupation, the UN, the United States, and Lebanon concluded a maritime demarcation deal in late October. 

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