"Israel" fears Hezbollah response to Karish gas extraction attempts
Israeli media are reporting fears in the Israeli security establishment that Hezbollah will target the new platform for extracting gas from the Karish field.
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that the IOF is anticipating Hezbollah’s possible attack on the new Energean platform in Karish
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."
Previously, and upon installation of the platform, British-Greek Company Energean announced that it would begin extracting gas within three months, according to Israeli daily Haaretz. Moreover, Kan indicated that "the Israeli Navy is guarding the platform," and that it “secured its transmission since its exit from the Suez Canal, it has come from Singapore."
Last week, the Israeli Knesset's Economic Affairs Committee approved an order prohibiting navigation within 1,500 meters of the new gas platform.
Read more: Lebanese MoD: Israeli provocations in disputed area call for action
Lebanon condemned the installation of the new platform for the Energen in the heart of the disputed area, Karish field, between Lebanon and occupied Palestine.
Earlier this year, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah stated in one of his speeches that Lebanon has "a resistance that can tell the enemy 'if you prevent Lebanon from drilling for energy [supplies], we will prevent you [from drilling for resources],' and no company will be able to start operating in the Karish gas field."
Back in February 2022, Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Lebanon reported that the Lebanese government sent a letter to the United Nations, affirming its adherence to its marine rights and assets.
According to the correspondent, the letter "confirmed Beirut's adherence to what the Lebanese negotiating delegation put forward concerning the border with occupied Palestine," noting that "the letter expresses rejection of the Israeli objection to the licensing on Block 9 on the border."
The Lebanese letter to the United Nations asserted that the "Karish gas field has become a contested field and is not an Israeli one."
