- Scientists unlock secret of 'Girl With Pearl Earring'
- Dolphins flash friendly grins when they're ready to play
- Facing backlash, EU moves to delay deforestation rules
- US private sector adds more jobs than expected in September: ADP
- Boys out of critical condition after Zurich stabbings
- Spain logs record summer tourism as inflow draws protests
- Hedi Slimane quits as Celine's artistic director
- Oil prices extend rally on Iran attack
- Spain welcomed record number of tourists this summer
- France says coming tax hikes on the wealthy to be 'temporary'
- Why are Thailand's roads so deadly?
- Oracle to invest $6.5 bn in Malaysian cloud services region
- Parkrun marks 20 years of a free weekly jog, run... or walk
- Oil extends rally after Iran attack, Hong Kong soars again
- Prostitutes, prospectors drive spread in DR Congo mpox capital
- Oil extends rally after Iran attack, Hong Kong resumes surge
- Extreme heat another form of death sentence in Texas jails
- Can music help plants grow? Study suggests sound boosts fungus
- Nike earnings drop, says turnaround will take time
- US dockworkers launch mass strike a month before election
- Iron Dome: Israel's key anti-missile shield
- Cranes stand still as US dockworkers fight for 'future'
- GM reports US sales dip, but says EVs grew
- Sheinbaum takes office as Mexico's first woman president
- Webb telescope detects carbon dioxide on Pluto's largest moon
- Stock markets slump, oil jumps on Middle East concerns
- French PM vows more taxes and spending cuts ahead of budget fight
- Germany inaugurates IBM's first European quantum data centre
- Stock markets diverge as eurozone inflation drops further
- France's richest man takes control of Paris Match magazine
- Anger meets tear gas as Nigeria hardship protests fizzle out
- US dockworkers launch mass strike month before election
- Evacuations from Lebanon: what we know
- Feathers fly at Chanel's Paris fashion return
- UAE oil giant ADNOC swoops on German chemicals firm Covestro
- Eurozone inflation falls under 2% for first time since 2021
- Coldplay ticket scalping fiasco sparks backlash in India
- Droughts drive Spanish boom in pistachio farming
- Tokyo recovers some losses to lead Asian markets higher
- Rural schools empty in North Macedonia due to exodus
- US dockworkers launch strike after labor contract expires
- Thousands evacuated as Super Typhoon Krathon approaches Taiwan
- Kenya airport whistleblower fears for his life
- Sheinbaum to take office as Mexico's first woman president
- Scientists fear underfunded Argentina research on verge of collapse
- US port officials gird for strike despite last-minute bargaining
- With 118 dead from Hurricane Helene, Biden defends US government response
- Breeder who tried to create enormous trophy sheep jailed in US
- Qatar Airways seeking 25% stake in Virgin Australia
- US port officials gird for strike as labor talks stay stuck
RBGPF | -2.18% | 59.5 | $ | |
RYCEF | 1.42% | 7.03 | $ | |
CMSC | -0.04% | 24.76 | $ | |
NGG | -1.45% | 69.05 | $ | |
AZN | 0.84% | 79.335 | $ | |
BTI | -1.33% | 35.97 | $ | |
BP | 0.56% | 32.27 | $ | |
RIO | 0.48% | 71.5 | $ | |
SCS | -1.3% | 13.03 | $ | |
RELX | 0.12% | 47.395 | $ | |
CMSD | -0.16% | 24.9 | $ | |
GSK | -1.84% | 39.57 | $ | |
JRI | -0.15% | 13.51 | $ | |
VOD | -2.21% | 9.735 | $ | |
BCC | 0.08% | 141.5 | $ | |
BCE | -0.94% | 34.505 | $ |
Lebanon asks for US mediation after Israel gas ship move
Lebanon on Monday called for US mediation after Israel moved a gas production vessel into an offshore field, a part of which is claimed by Beirut.
The ship operated by London-listed Energean Plc arrived in the Karish gas field on Sunday and will immediately commence operations, Energean said in a statement.
The move immediately drew condemnation from Lebanon's president and prime minister who held talks on Monday to discuss next steps.
The two agreed to "invite US envoy Amos Hochstein to Beirut to look into restarting negotiations to demarcate Lebanon's southern maritime border" which stalled last May, said a statement by Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
"Any exploration, drilling or extraction carried out by Israel in the disputed areas constitutes a provocation and an act of aggression," the statement said.
Lebanon and Israel last fought a war in 2006, have no diplomatic relations and are separated by a UN-patrolled border.
They had resumed negotiations over their maritime border in 2020 but the process was stalled by Beirut's claim that the map used by the United Nations in the talks needed modifying.
Lebanon initially demanded 860 square kilometres (330 square miles) of territory in the disputed maritime area but then asked for an additional 1,430 square kilometres (552 square miles), including part of Karish.
- Disputed territory -
Lebanese officials said Sunday that any Israeli activity in disputed waters would constitute a "hostile act" and an "attack" on Lebanon's natural resources.
But for Israel, Karish lies "within Israel's UN-recognised exclusive economic zone," and not in disputed territory, a senior Israeli official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
An Israeli energy ministry spokeswoman told AFP that drilling was completed months ago and "the flow of gas from Karish should start in September".
The production vessel that arrived Sunday will be connected to Karish via pipelines, she said.
"Other pipelines will take the gas from the platform to the Israeli shores," she said, referring to the ship.
Lebanon's powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah militant movement has warned Israel that it could seek to disrupt attempts to extract oil and gas from Karish and other disputed areas.
Lebanese energy expert Laury Haytayan said Lebanese authorities should sign a decree amending demarcation lines of the maritime border instead of turning to Washington for mediation.
"If Lebanese officials believe that an invitation for Hochstein to visit Beirut will stop work in Karish, this is a waste of time," she told AFP.
M.P.Jacobs--CPN