Fearing escalation, IOF request clarification on Karish statement

• 

Israeli media said today that "It was the Israeli army that requested that clarification be issued regarding [an Israeli statement regarding] the Karish field, in order not to provoke tensions against Hezbollah."

Israeli Channel 13 stated that “the fear of a confrontation with Hezbollah has increased in recent weeks regarding the Karish gas platform. Despite Israel’s announcement that the next stage regarding the activation of the platform will begin soon, it has indicated, exceptionally, that the talk is not about extracting gas from it,” commenting that “this message was drafted at the request of the security establishment.”

Channel 13 political affairs correspondent Moriah Wahlberg pointed out that "this clarification was not made in vain, but is rather aimed primarily at the ears of Hezbollah, as they in Israel do not want to create, provoke, and increase tensions, especially since these tensions already exist on this issue."

Wahlberg pointed out that “there is a disagreement in the Israeli leadership regarding the text of this statement, which was issued by the Ministry of Energy,” stressing that “some parties believed that this clarification should not be given in the matter of natural gas extraction, but parties in the army requested that this clarification be issued in order to avoid tensions with Hezbollah."

Read: 'Israel' fears military escalation against the Karish platform

She indicated that "in the end, it was the decision of Eyal Hulata, the head of the National Security Council."

The Israeli correspondent added, "It is assumed that, at the end of the month, the platform will start extracting gas, and (officials) in Israel expect the delay, mainly, as a result of technical reasons, stressing that the matter has nothing to do with security matters."

She concluded by saying, "On the other hand, attempts to resolve the maritime conflict are continuing, at the diplomatic level. In Israel, (officials) were informed that the American mediator Amos Hochstein is expected to present the final proposal to Lebanon in the coming days," noting that "Israel hopes and expects the Lebanese would accept the proposal, and this will, of course, lead to a resolution of the maritime conflict and also ease tension with Hezbollah." 

It is noteworthy that a source familiar with the matter revealed to Al Mayadeen, on September 11, that the US envoy for the demarcation of the maritime border, Amos Hochstein, handed Lebanon the coordinates of the line of maritime buoys, explaining that these coordinates constitute the "last point that is being negotiated", in preparation for sending his [Hochstein's] "full offer" next week.