Opportunity exists for Lebanese-Israeli maritime border demarcation: US mediator

Beirut, Feb 9 (IANS) US Energy Envoy, Amos Hochstein has said the gaps have narrowed between Lebanon and Israel regarding maritime border demarcation.

"There is an opportunity today... We can reach an agreement, but we will not conclude it ourselves, as Lebanon and Israel must decide to do so," Hochstein said on Tuesday in an interview with Lebanese MTV local TV channel.

The US official arrived in Beirut on Tuesday to look into ways to resume talks over Lebanese-Israeli maritime border demarcation, Xinhua news agency reported.

In 2020, Israel and Lebanon began US-mediated negotiations concerning their maritime border, but talks stalled when Lebanon expanded its demands, increasing the disputed area from 860 to 2,300 square km to include part of the Karish North field, initially claimed by Israel.