Lebanon receives final draft of maritime borders demarcation agreement

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Lebanese Deputy Speaker and lead negotiator Elias Bou Saab said that Lebanon has received a final draft of a US-mediated maritime border agreement with “Israel” that meets all of Lebanon's requirements and could lead to a "historic deal" soon, Reuters reported.

Shortly after receiving the draft from US meditator Amos Hochstein, Bou Saab stated, as quoted by the news agency, that "if everything goes well, Amos Hochstein's efforts could imminently lead to a historic deal."

"We received minutes ago the final draft... Lebanon felt that it takes into consideration all of Lebanon's requirements and we believe that the other side should feel the same," Bou Saab added.

Earlier, Lebanese sources affirmed to Al Mayadeen that the Deputy Speaker received the final proposal for the agreement on the maritime border demarcation from the US mediator.

The same sources stressed that the content of the proposal conveyed by the US mediator is being examined before presenting it to the Lebanese President today.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun said, on Monday, that he hopes to complete all arrangements related to the demarcation of the southern maritime border in the next few days after the indirect negotiations led by US mediator Amos Hockstein have made progress.

Israeli media has lately said that the Lebanese maritime border agreement strengthens Hezbollah's position inside Lebanon, stressing that Hezbollah has once again proven that it can achieve its political and strategic goals in Lebanon and the region thanks to its military strength that cannot be dissuaded or weakened.

It is noteworthy that the company working in the Karish rig, Energean, released a statement, on Sunday, announcing that it has launched the testing process of the rig; however, "Israel" told the US that the injections are merely a test and that oil production will not happen today in a clear attempt to relay a message to Hezbollah that it has not yet crossed the red lines.