Noa natural gas field > Uri Kfir, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Israeli prime minister Yair Lapid has accused opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu of supporting the Hezbollah terror group’s propaganda in his criticism of an emergent agreement to demarcate Israel’s maritime border with Lebanon.
The step, which was been reported over the weekend, would allow both countries to explore offshore resources, including natural gas.
Following a US-brokered proposal, former prime minister Netanyahu claimed that Lapid had signed over Israel’s natural resources to Lebanon and the Hezbollah terror group, which holds significant sway over Israel’s northern neighbour.
Though details of the agreement are yet to become public, the deal has been greeted positively in both Jerusalem and Beirut, with even Hezbollah – a terror group committed to Israel’s destruction – dropping its former opposition to the deal.
“I understand that it pains you that you didn’t succeed in achieving an agreement [when you were prime minister], but that is no reason to join [Hassan] Nasrallah’s propaganda campaign”, Lapid responded to Netanyahu.
He added that, although Netanyahu “hasn’t seen the agreement”, the deal met “100% of [Israel’s] security needs, 100% of the Karish reserve, and even some of the profits from the Lebanon reserve”.
The Karish gas field, which Israel claims as its own, partially lies in territory also claimed by Lebanon.
