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US Envoy Signals Optimism on Lebanese-Israeli Maritime Border Deal

Lebanese President Michel Aoun (2-R) parliament speaker Nabih Berri (C) and Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati (R) meet with US Senior Advisor for Energy Security Amos Hochstein (2-L) and US Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea (L) in Baabda east of Beirut, Lebanon, 01 August 2022.(EPA)
Lebanese President Michel Aoun (2-R) parliament speaker Nabih Berri (C) and Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati (R) meet with US Senior Advisor for Energy Security Amos Hochstein (2-L) and US Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea (L) in Baabda east of Beirut, Lebanon, 01 August 2022.(EPA)
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US Envoy Signals Optimism on Lebanese-Israeli Maritime Border Deal

Lebanese President Michel Aoun (2-R) parliament speaker Nabih Berri (C) and Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati (R) meet with US Senior Advisor for Energy Security Amos Hochstein (2-L) and US Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea (L) in Baabda east of Beirut, Lebanon, 01 August 2022.(EPA)
Lebanese President Michel Aoun (2-R) parliament speaker Nabih Berri (C) and Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati (R) meet with US Senior Advisor for Energy Security Amos Hochstein (2-L) and US Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea (L) in Baabda east of Beirut, Lebanon, 01 August 2022.(EPA)

The US official mediating a maritime border dispute between Lebanon and Israel said on Monday he remained optimistic about making progress towards a deal and looked forward to returning to the region to make a "final arrangement".

Amos Hochstein made the comments after meeting Lebanon's top leaders as he presses efforts to clinch a rare agreement between enemy states that should allow both to develop offshore resources.

"I remain optimistic that we can make continuous progress as we have over the last several weeks and I look forward to being able to come back to the region to make the final arrangement," Hochstein said.

A senior Lebanese government source said Hochstein had passed on an Israeli proposal that provided Lebanon with "nothing south of Line 23" - a maritime line that was originally Lebanon's demand during negotiations.

Additionally, Israel would allow Lebanon to explore the entire Qana Prospect, an area with the potential to hold hydrocarbons which crosses beyond Line 23.

Lebanon informed Hochstein it was seeking guarantees it could commence exploration in its southern Block 9 in an area already awarded to a consortium led by French oil major Total as soon as an agreement is signed, the source said.

Hochstein told local broadcaster LBCI he expected exploration would move forward in the area once the companies involved had the "legal and diplomatic certainty" that would result from a deal.

Lebanon opposed any Israeli exploration before Lebanon was able to do the same, and informed Hochstein it could not provide guarantees that Israel would be safe from attack if it did so, the source added.

The Lebanese Iran-backed Hezbollah party has threatened military action if Lebanon is prevented from exploiting what it deems to be its offshore rights. But it has also said it will respect the decision of the Lebanese government.

Energy resilience

In a written statement to Reuters, Israeli Energy Minister Karin El-Harar declined to respond to "media reports."

"The proposal we related last week is serious, and its goal is to bring this issue to a close while preserving Israel's security and energy resilience," the statement said.

A senior Israeli official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity on Sunday, said Hochstein would present a new Israeli proposal that "includes a solution that would allow the Lebanese to develop the gas reserves in the disputed area while preserving Israel's commercial rights".

This would entail "some drilling there" by the Lebanese, the Israeli official said without elaborating.

The United States in 2020 stepped up long-running efforts to mediate an agreement. Tensions over the issue escalated in June as Israel moved towards extracting hydrocarbons while Lebanon's exploration process remained paused.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati gave a thumbs up as he emerged from the meeting on Monday afternoon that also included President Michel Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

Lebanese deputy parliament speaker Elias Bou Saab said the negotiations were moving "within a short timeframe" and said results could emerge in the next few weeks.

Lebanon and Israel are located in the Levant Basin, where a number of big sub-sea gas fields have been discovered since 2009. Israel already produces and exports gas.

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Arab World

Houthi Charges of Espionage: A Tool to Intimidate, Control the Population

Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)
Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)
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Houthi Charges of Espionage: A Tool to Intimidate, Control the Population

Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)
Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)

The Houthi militia has recently released several individuals it had abducted for celebrating Yemen’s September Revolution. However, over the past few days, it has detained hundreds of residents in its stronghold of Saada, accusing them of espionage.

The campaign coincides with the airing of alleged confessions from a purported spy cell and the abduction of a former employee of the US Embassy in Yemen.

Local sources in Saada province, approximately 242 kilometers north of Sanaa, report that the Houthis have launched a widespread campaign of arrests targeting civilians. These individuals have been taken from their homes, workplaces, and businesses under allegations of collaborating with Western nations and Israel. Families of those detained have been warned to remain silent and refrain from discussing the arrests with the media or on social media platforms.

According to the sources, more than 300 individuals, including dozens of women, have been abducted across various districts in Saada. The arrests have also targeted relatives and associates of Othman Mujalli, a member of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, who hails from the region.

The sources suggest that the Houthis are detaining women as hostages to pressure their relatives, who may either be out of the militia’s reach or living outside Houthi-controlled areas. They also appear to be using the women to coerce confessions from male relatives. Last month, the Houthis accused Hamid Mujalli, Othman Mujalli’s brother, of engaging in espionage for Arab and Western nations for nearly two decades.

In a separate incident, the Houthis abducted a former employee of the US Embassy in Sanaa from his home on Monday without providing any explanation for their actions.

Release of Detainees

The Houthis recently released Sheikh Amin Rajeh, a tribal leader from Ibb province, after detaining him for four months. Several other individuals were also freed, none of whom had been formally charged during their detention. Rajeh, a member of the General People’s Congress Party, was one of many political activists, students, workers, and public employees abducted in September for celebrating Yemen’s September 26, 1962, revolution.

One of the released individuals, a shop owner, told Asharq Al-Awsat that he was unaware of the reason for his detention. He had been abducted in November, two months after the Houthis initiated a crackdown on those commemorating the revolution.

Alleged Spy Cell

Houthi-controlled media recently broadcast confessions from what they claimed was a newly uncovered spy cell. The group linked the cell to its broader narrative of “promised conquest and sacred jihad” against the West and Israel.

According to Houthi security officials, the alleged spy cell was working to compile a “target database,” monitor sites linked to missile forces and drones, and track specific military and security locations. They also claimed the cell had been observing the residences and movements of Houthi leaders.

In response, the Houthis issued warnings to residents, forbidding them from discussing or sharing information about militia-controlled sites, facilities, or the whereabouts of their leaders.

The Houthis’ actions reflect mounting concerns over potential strikes targeting their senior leadership, similar to the recent attacks on Hezbollah figures in Lebanon. Those fears come amid ongoing tensions with Israel, the United States, and the United Kingdom, following the Houthis’ assaults on international shipping lanes in the Red Sea and missile attacks on Israel.