Lebanon Expects US Mediator Offer for Maritime Border with Israel within Days

US Senior Advisor for Energy Security Amos Hochstein speaks at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon September 9, 2022. (Reuters)
US Senior Advisor for Energy Security Amos Hochstein speaks at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon September 9, 2022. (Reuters)
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Lebanon Expects US Mediator Offer for Maritime Border with Israel within Days

US Senior Advisor for Energy Security Amos Hochstein speaks at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon September 9, 2022. (Reuters)
US Senior Advisor for Energy Security Amos Hochstein speaks at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon September 9, 2022. (Reuters)

Lebanon expects a written offer from US mediator Amos Hochstein concerning the demarcation of a maritime border with Israel by the end of the week, Lebanon's presidency tweeted on Monday.

Lebanon's deputy speaker of parliament Elias Bou Saab met with Hochstein last week during a visit to New York and briefed President Michel Aoun on the outcome, the presidency added.

Hochstein has been shuttling between Lebanon and Israel - enemy states with a history of conflict - in a bid to forge a compromise over the maritime boundary that would allow both to explore for offshore energy reserves.

A deal would defuse one potential source of conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, which has warned against any Israeli exploration and extraction in the disputed waters.



Jordan, Syria to Form Joint Committee to Secure their Border

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi attend a press conference as they meet in Amman, Jordan January 7, 2025. REUTERS/Alaa Al Sukhni
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi attend a press conference as they meet in Amman, Jordan January 7, 2025. REUTERS/Alaa Al Sukhni
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Jordan, Syria to Form Joint Committee to Secure their Border

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi attend a press conference as they meet in Amman, Jordan January 7, 2025. REUTERS/Alaa Al Sukhni
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi attend a press conference as they meet in Amman, Jordan January 7, 2025. REUTERS/Alaa Al Sukhni

Jordan and Syria agreed to form a joint security committee to secure their border and combat the smuggling of arms and drugs as well as cooperating to prevent the resurgence of ISIS, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said on Tuesday.

Safadi met in Amman on Tuesday with visiting Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, who said during a joint press conference that the latest US move to ease sanctions should be a step towards full lifting of sanctions.

Shibani said existing sanctions were a main hurdle to the recovery of Syria.

The United States on Monday issued a sanctions exemption for transactions with governing institutions in Syria for six months after the end of president Bashar al-Assad's rule to try to increase the flow of humanitarian assistance.