Lebanon’s Hezbollah has released a video showing ships involved in Israel’s oil and gas industry and warned not to “play with time”, underscoring its threat of military escalation amid talks to demarcate maritime borders. The video broadcast on Sunday came as United States energy envoy Amos Hochstein landed in Beirut to mediate ongoing talks between Lebanon and Israel over their maritime border. Lebanon claims the Karish gas field is disputed territory in ongoing maritime boundary negotiations, while Israel says it is within its internationally recognized economic waters. Lebanese officials said they were optimistic that this round of talks could lead to an agreement after years of indirect negotiations. Acting Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said in a statement on Friday that Hochstein would brief Lebanon on Israel’s response to Lebanon’s proposal in June, adding that he was optimistic of reaching an agreement soon. Meanwhile, Hezbollah has warned that it is ready to prevent Israel from extracting hydrocarbons if Lebanon is not allowed to do so. There was no immediate response to the video from Israel. The Israeli military earlier this month shot down three unarmed Hezbollah drones flying over the Karish gas field in the Mediterranean Sea. Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati criticized Hezbollah, saying the move could pose risks to the country. In an interview last week, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the armed group could locate and strike Karis and any other Israeli gas field. Israel and Hezbollah fought a month-long war in 2006 and have exchanged fire on several occasions since then, but have avoided a full-scale confrontation. Sunday’s video, which also contains a rare glimpse of Hezbollah weapons, was broadcast on the group’s Al-Manar TV station. It was issued by Hezbollah’s Military Media Department, which the group uses to broadcast footage of military operations and battles, and contains images of vessels involved in hydrocarbon drilling and extraction, along with their coordinates. The video begins with Nasrallah’s words during a recent speech in which he warned that “playing with time is not useful” on the maritime issue. A statement on Saturday from the US State Department said Hochstein’s visit to Beirut would be aimed at facilitating talks on maritime borders. “Achieving a solution is both necessary and possible, but it can only be done through negotiations and diplomacy,” he said. A senior Israeli official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said Hochstein would represent a new Israeli proposal that “includes a solution that would allow the Lebanese to develop natural gas reserves in the disputed area while preserving Israel’s commercial rights ». If an agreement is reached, it would involve “some drilling there” by the Lebanese, the Israeli official said without elaborating. “The forwarded offer is a serious proposal that can transform Lebanon from a country of economic disaster and energy crises to a country of natural gas production, allowing it to cultivate this resource,” the official said.
