Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz confirmed that “the gas exploration ship is located in our territory and will not extract gas from the disputed area with Lebanon.”

He said, “The Karish gas platform is located in the Israeli territories, not in the area that is being negotiated between Israel and Lebanon.”

Gantz called on Lebanon to expedite negotiations on the maritime borders, noting that “Israel is ready to protect its strategic assets and defend its infrastructure.”

Lebanon was informed earlier that the US envoy for global energy security, Amos Hochstein, who is in charge of the US mediation file in demarcating the border between Lebanon and Israel, will visit Beirut at the end of next week, as revealed by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, after the news of the start of drilling and preparation operations of extracting gas from the Karish field within 3 months angered the Lebanese.