Sheikh Naim Qassem, the Deputy Secretary-General of Hezbollah said on Monday that the Lebanese Resistance is prepared to take appropriate measures against "Israel's" attempts at gas exploration in disputed maritime zones.

In an interview with Reuters, Qassem said that Hezbollah is prepared to take such measures, "including force", as soon as the Lebanese government announces "Israel's" violation of Lebanon's maritime borders.

He further added that "the issue requires a decisive decision from the Lebanese state", saying that Hezbollah "urged the government to hurry up, to set a deadline for itself", and to answer the following questions: Is the ship in question operating in a disputed region or not? Has the Lebanese government resolved the matter of the borders and the negotiation line or not?

Sheikh Naim Qassem's statement came a day after a vessel operated by the London-based Energean arrived to develop a gas field known as Karish. Lebanon says the Karish gas field lies within a disputed area.

The head of Hezbollah's Executive Council, Hashem Safi Al-Din, had said on Sunday that Lebanon has the ability and effectiveness to extract its gas and oil, away from all means of pressure that some Lebanese fear.

During a religious ceremony held in South Lebanon, Safi Al-Din pointed out that the United States is the main player against Lebanon extracting its oil wealth.

The Hezbollah official stressed that the Lebanese state should officially and clearly point to its borders and mark the disputed areas, because only then can the Lebanese come together with their resistance, army, and people to claim their rights, whether the US likes it or not. 

"Israel" fears Hezbollah response to Karish gas extraction attempts

Israeli media reported Monday that the IOF is anticipating Hezbollah’s possible response to the placement of the new Energean platform in the Karish field, a contested maritime zone, to extract gas. On Sunday, the new platform was installed, at a distance of 80km away from Haifa, by the British-Greek exploration company Energen.

Israeli government-funded Kan TV channel said that these preparations come in light of the Lebanese warnings against any Israeli "aggressive action" in the disputed waters.

The Israeli channel stated that the occupation security services conducted a session to assess the situation after the Energean platform left the port of Singapore, heading to occupied Palestine last May.

Furthermore, media sources reported that agreements signed between "Israel" and Energean stipulate that the security measures of the platform fall within the company's responsibilities, while the maritime security of the Karish field falls on the shoulders of the IOF.

Additionally, the Israeli occupation navy is preparing to secure the area by means of naval vessels situated both above and below the surface of the sea, including submarines. The IOF also pointed out that they are "working to transfer the Iron Dome system in its naval version to the region."