Israel and Lebanon have been engaged for more than a year in rare US-brokered talks aimed at resolving a dispute over rights to offshore fields believed to be rich in natural gas. Both countries claim about 860 square kilometers (330 sq mi) of the Mediterranean Sea. Lebanon also claims the Karish gas field is in disputed territory under ongoing maritime border negotiations, while Israel says it is within its internationally recognized economic waters. Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based Shiite terrorist group backed by Iran, has strongly opposed any concessions in talks with Israel. Its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has repeatedly threatened to target Israeli offshore facilities. In July, the IDF said it shot down three Hezbollah drones that were fired at a gas rig in one of the disputed fields. Get The Times of Israel Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories By signing up, you agree to the terms Israeli defense officials fear Nasrallah may be seeking to provoke Israel once again in hopes of getting credit for any Israeli concessions before a deal is signed, Channel 12 News reported, without citing a source. The report said the two sides are close to signing an agreement. Hezbollah terror leader Hassan Nasrallah speaks via video link as his supporters raise their hands, during the Shiite holy day of Ashura, in a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, August 9, 2022. (AP Photo/ Hussein Malla) Amos Yadlin, Israel’s former intelligence chief, warned on Sunday that Hezbollah was becoming overconfident in its provocations. The terror group risked overplaying its hand and sparking a conflict with Israel similar to the build-up before the last war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006, he said. An unnamed Lebanese official was quoted by the Russian news agency Sputnik on Sunday as saying that Beirut was still waiting for Israel’s response to its latest proposal, but was optimistic that an agreement would be reached next month. “We are very close to reaching an agreement on the demarcation of the maritime border with Israel,” the unnamed Lebanese official said, according to the semi-official Russian news agency. “The border demarcation issue will be finalized in September,” the source said. US envoy to the deal Amos Hochstein said earlier this month he was “optimistic” about the deal, and Lebanon’s foreign minister late last month said he was more positive than ever about the negotiations. An Israeli Sa’ar Class 5 Corvette guards the floating production, storage and offloading vessel Energean at the Karish gas field, in footage released by the military on July 2, 2022. (Israel Defense Forces) The maritime border dispute has been going on for over a decade. In 2012, Lebanon rejected a US proposal to receive 550 square kilometers (212 sq mi), or nearly two-thirds of the area, while Israel would have received the remaining third. The disputed area covers the Karish gas field and the Qana field. Lebanon and Israel last fought a war in 2006, have no diplomatic relations and are separated by a UN-monitored cease-fire line. They resumed negotiations on their maritime borders in 2020, but the process stalled over Beirut’s claim that the map used by the UN in the talks needed to be amended. Lebanon badly needs a deal on maritime borders in the Mediterranean as it hopes to tap offshore gas reserves to try to ease the worst economic crisis in its modern history. Israel maintains its sovereignty over the Karish gas field and is seeking to develop the field as it seeks to position itself as a gas supplier to Europe. In June, Israel, Egypt and the European Union signed a memorandum of understanding in Cairo that will see Israel export its natural gas to the bloc for the first time. TOI agencies and staff contributed to this report. It’s not (only) for you. Supporting The Times of Israel is not a transaction for an online service, such as subscribing to Netflix. The ToI community is for people like you who care about a common good: ensuring that balanced, responsible coverage of Israel continues to be available to millions around the world, for free. Sure, we’ll remove all ads from your page and unlock access to some great Community-only content. But your support gives you something deeper than that: the pride of participating in something that really matters. Join the Times of Israel Community Join our Community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this You are a devoted reader We are really glad that you read X Times of Israel articles last month. 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