Lebanon-Israel Maritime Border Pact Is Possible If Sides Want It: US Energy Envoy

US State Department Senior Advisor for Energy Security Amos Hochstein said on Tuesday that progress toward resolving the maritime border dispute between Lebanon and Israel was possible. “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 in an interview with the local TV channel MTV Lebanon. The US envoy arrived at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport on Tuesday afternoon on a mission to restart talks over Lebanese-Israeli maritime border demarcation. Israel and Lebanon began US-mediated negotiations concerning their maritime border in 2020 but the talks broke down when Lebanon expanded its demands, increasing the disputed area from 860 to 2,300 square kilometers, including part of the Karish North field that is claimed by Israel.