Resistance to prevent 'Israel' from extracting Karish gas: Nasrallah
7 Min Read
Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah underlines the importance of the issue of preventing the Israeli occupation from drilling for gas in the disputed Karish oil field.
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Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah delivering a televised speech on June 9, 2022
What happened over the course of the past few days signals that Lebanon is entering a new stage.
This is evident through the British-Greek company setting up a rig in the Karish gas field within three months is a violation against Lebanon, putting it in a difficult situation, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Thursday during a televised speech regarding the latest regional political developments.
"With the maritime borders and the vast riches in the [Mediterranean] sea, Lebanon today is before an issue that must become a major national cause," Sayyed Nasrallah added.
A "neighboring treasure" is how the Hezbollah leader referenced the riches in the Mediterranean, stressing that all of the wealth lying within and beneath the waters of the sea belongs to all of the Lebanese people, and it is "the last remaining hope to rescue Lebanon from collapse."
He underlined the importance of protecting the national energy resources and wealth, extracting them, and making use of them after their extraction, stressing that this should be a goal for Beirut. "On the regional level, only Syria and Lebanon are not allowed to dig for oil and gas under the threat of sanctions," he highlighted.
"The first threat emitting from the violation of Lebanon's maritime borders is Lebanon being robbed of a large area and all the treasures and [gas] fields it contains," he explained after saying there were three threats facing Lebanon.
The second threat is that "Lebanon is prohibited from extracting its oil, and this is a problem the Lebanese people must find a solution for," he said.
The third one, he underscored, was Lebanon's gas fields being emptied. "In this case, the element of time becomes highly important, i.e., when the time comes that we are allowed to extract [gas], we might not find anything."
"The issues of water, oil, and gas extraction are no less important than the issue of liberating the occupied Lebanese borders [with Palestine]. This issue has many key aspects that must work as a motive to push everyone to act responsibly."
"The main goal should be preventing the enemy from extracting oil and gas from Karish and impeding the activity that will start or that might have already started," Sayyed Nasrallah noted. "Every day we are [not extracting oil], the Lebanese people will be losing wealth and money."
Violations on Karish will be brought to a halt
The Karish gas field is a red line; therefore, all that is extracted from it is contested, Sayyed Nasrallah stressed.
"It is not important where the ship has docked nor where the drilling and extraction are taking place. The dangerous aspect of the issue is that the enemy will start extracting oil from the common, contested gas field, while Lebanon is prohibited from extracting [resources] from its own areas and blocs that have nothing to do with the conflict."
Lebanon, he explained, has the right, the motive, and the utmost need and power, under the banner of "the army and the resistance", in this conflict over the Karish gas field. "The resistance surely has the financial, military, and security capabilities to prevent the enemy from extracting oil and gas from the Karish gas field."
Not all of the enemy's measures can protect the floating rig and the extraction of gas from the Karish oik field, he clarified. "The repercussions of any blunder that the Israeli occupation commits will not only be strategic; they will be existential. Whatever Israel loses in any war they are threatening would far exceed what Lebanon might lose."
The Israeli occupation navy had been 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."
"The heads [of the republic, the parliament, and the government] having a united front with the backing of the state and all of its institutions gives strength to the Lebanese negotiator," he stressed, noting that it is necessary to leave all domestic disputes behind when discussing an issue as great as Lebanon's territorial integrity.
"We are up against an enemy that does not recognize international resolutions, and the only path it follows is that of using force and arrogance. As per experience, it does answer to any UN resolution. It only responds to resistance and pressure. It was forced to withdraw in 2000 and from the Gaza Strip."
The drilling ship's company is responsible for any damages
The resistance is one of the options available to the Lebanese state and the Lebanese people in this confrontation for wealth, Sayyed Nasrallah highlighted, underlining that the resistance would not stand idle as the Israeli occupation robs Lebanon of its treasures and wealth and the only hope for saving its people.
"Everything is on the table for the resistance [...] we do not want a war, but we do not fear one, but Israel must halt its activities in the Karish field and swiftly and immediately withdraw its ship from there," Sayyed Nasrallah warned.
"The company that owns the drilling ship should swiftly withdraw it, and it should be fully responsible for any losses, whether material or human," he added. "We have the right to do everything needed to collect the required information to execute any option that we might resort to."
The resistance, the leader said, will closely and thoroughly follow up on the situation. He also announced that Hezbollah has now assembled a file on everything related to gas, oil, and the wealth at sea and on land, as well as the demarcation of the borders and the Shebaa Farms.
"This file is about the demarcation of the maritime borders and the Lebanese economic zone. We also added to it all that is related to the [Lebanese] borders. It is headed by former MP Nawwaf Al-Mousawi," Sayyed Nasrallah revealed.
"The US-Israeli strategy is pushing Lebanon to the brink of famine, which is jeopardizing social security and is worse than a civil war [...] it is not a matter of borders, but the fate of a country," he explained.
The head of Hezbollah's Executive Council, Hashem Safi Al-Din, said on Sunday that Lebanon had the ability and effectiveness to extract its gas and oil, away from all means of pressure that some Lebanese fear.
"What is required is a united official and popular stance [...] only then will we surely emerge victorious from this battle."
Israeli media reported Monday that the IOF was 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.
