US envoy Hochstein arrived in Beirut amid 'positive ambience'
US envoy Amos Hochstein denied any rumors about joint excavations between Lebanon and “Israel”.
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Hochstein met with Lebanon’s Energy Minister Walid Fayyad during today's meeting
Lebanese official sources told Al Mayadeen correspondent that US envoy Amos Hochstein wants to reach a quick solution before summer ends, adding that the atmosphere is positive.
Hochstein denied any rumors about joint excavations between Lebanon and “Israel”.
Commenting on the video published by the military media of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon, he believed that it might lead to a hardening stance from the Israeli side.
Earlier in the day, the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon military media published a video that displayed the coordinates of the Israeli occupation's gas rigs off the coasts of occupied Palestine in a clear message to "Tel Aviv".
The video was entitled: "[You are] in our crosshair... stalling is not beneficial."
The video displayed footage of the drillship and the floating production unit alongside information pertaining to the specifics of their geolocation, giving their coordinates, information regarding the origin, and details of the ships at sea based on the flags they bear. Moreover, the video displayed the exact distance of each ship from Lebanese shores.
Read more: Military expert: Hezbollah scenes captured with thermal cameras
US envoy Amos Hochstein arrived in Beirut earlier today to push talks on the delimitation of maritime boundaries.
Israeli media said that “Tel Aviv” is pressuring the US to reach an agreement with Lebanon before September, the date for when the extraction of oil from [the Karish] rig starts in reference to Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's latest threats.
The Israeli military and security apparatuses are taking Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's threats seriously, Israeli Channel 12 said, noting that the Israeli occupation forces are raising their level of alert.
"These are not the first threats that Nasrallah makes. But this time, he is specifying the time and making clear cut conditions regarding the start of the extraction of gas from the Karish gas field," the Israeli TV channel said.
"Nasrallah wants to achieve this before September, the date for when the extraction of oil from [the Karish] rig starts," it continued.
On his account, Hezbollah Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem confirmed on Saturday that “delaying will not discourage the resistance from carrying out its duty,” stressing that "Israel has no choice but to recognize Lebanon's wealth, and Americans have no choice but to take their hands off the companies exploring and extracting gas."
House Speaker Nabih Berri rejected, on Saturday, any concession or bargaining over any of Lebanon's sovereign rights over all its soil, water, and wealth on land and sea, stressing that the three UAVs which were sent by the Resistance on a recon mission over the Karish gas field contributed to push forward the file of maritime border demarcation."
The Israeli occupation on Tuesday gave the United States an updated proposal regarding "Tel Aviv's" maritime borders with Lebanon, Israeli newspaper Walla! said on Wednesday.
It is worth noting that Hochstein met with Lebanon’s Energy Minister Walid Fayyad, who said: “Hochstein brings a new proposal to the Lebanese officials, and he told me that it was positive and denied any rumors about joint excavations between Lebanon and Israel”.
After the meeting, Fayyad told reporters that "we discussed Iranian fuel with Hochstein, and I told him frankly that I back any offer which will provide sustainable electricity to Lebanese inhabitants, and I cannot refuse any donation in this regard”.
He affirmed that the Iranian proposal to supply Lebanon with fuel is a "serious” one.
Public Security Director-General, Major General Abbas Ibrahim, received in his office this afternoon a US delegation headed by US envoy Amos Hochstein and with the presence of US ambassador in Lebanon Dorothy Shea.
Hochstein is scheduled to meet with Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Monday.
Read more: No Israeli target beyond resistance missiles' range: Sayyed Nasrallah
