Lebanon Says to Take Novatek’s 20% Share in Oil and Gas Consortium

A base for United Nations peacekeepers of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), in Naqoura near the Lebanese-Israeli border, southern Lebanon, Nov. 11, 2020. (Reuters)
A base for United Nations peacekeepers of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), in Naqoura near the Lebanese-Israeli border, southern Lebanon, Nov. 11, 2020. (Reuters)
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Lebanon Says to Take Novatek’s 20% Share in Oil and Gas Consortium

A base for United Nations peacekeepers of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), in Naqoura near the Lebanese-Israeli border, southern Lebanon, Nov. 11, 2020. (Reuters)
A base for United Nations peacekeepers of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), in Naqoura near the Lebanese-Israeli border, southern Lebanon, Nov. 11, 2020. (Reuters)

Lebanon said on Monday it will take over Novatek's 20% share in a consortium licensed to explore two offshore oil and gas blocs after the Russian gas giant decided to quit.

The energy ministry said in a statement it had taken the decision to enter the consortium instead of Novatek and had asked it to waive its share in favor of the Lebanese state.

Novatek did not respond to a request for comment.

In August, the ministry said it had been told of a decision by Novatek to withdraw from the consortium, which is led by France's TotalEnergies and includes Italy's Eni.

The consortium in 2020 completed exploratory drilling in Lebanon's offshore Bloc 4 off the coast of Beirut and said it had not found a commercially viable amount of hydrocarbons.

It decided to postpone drilling in southern Bloc 9 in 2020, citing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lebanon's second licensing round, initially approved in April 2019 in just two blocs, has been extended several times and increased to cover all eight remaining offshore blocs.

Laury Haytayan, a Lebanese oil and gas expert, said the country's three-year financial crisis raised questions about whether the cash-strapped state had the capacity to participate.

"It's important to understood if there are any financial commitments on the Lebanese state and how they are going to fulfil these commitments considering the financial situation in the country," Haytayan said.



5 Israeli Soldiers Charged with Assault on a Palestinian Detainee 

Israeli soldiers walk over the rubble of damaged buildings at Tulkarem refugee camp, in the West Bank city of Tulkarem, 19 February 2025. (EPA)
Israeli soldiers walk over the rubble of damaged buildings at Tulkarem refugee camp, in the West Bank city of Tulkarem, 19 February 2025. (EPA)
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5 Israeli Soldiers Charged with Assault on a Palestinian Detainee 

Israeli soldiers walk over the rubble of damaged buildings at Tulkarem refugee camp, in the West Bank city of Tulkarem, 19 February 2025. (EPA)
Israeli soldiers walk over the rubble of damaged buildings at Tulkarem refugee camp, in the West Bank city of Tulkarem, 19 February 2025. (EPA)

Israeli military prosecutors have charge five soldiers with assault over an attack on a Palestinian detainee in which they sodomized him with a knife.

The military said the July 5, 2024, attack in the Sde Teiman facility “caused severe physical injury to the detainee, including cracked ribs, a punctured lung and an inner rectal tear.”

It said the soldiers took the detainee to a separate area, blindfolded and handcuffed, before assaulting him. It said the evidence for the attack was “extensive” and included footage from a security camera.

The five were among nine Israeli reservists arrested last July over the attack. A defense lawyer at the time denied the allegations, saying the soldiers responded with force when the detainee attacked them.

Their arrest triggered angry protests by supporters demanding their release, including members of parliament and at least two government ministers. Hard-liners in Israel have called for harsh treatment of suspected Hamas fighters.