Hezbollah: Lebanon will not let Israel seize its natural gas

[Jefferson23]

Deputy secretary general of Hezbollah says Lebanon will protect its rights in face of Israeli threats as Israel-Lebanon conflict on their maritime economic border escalates.

Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem said that Lebanon will not tolerate Israel seizing its oil, gas, and water resources, Channel 10 reported on Thursday.

"Lebanon will stand guard in order to protect all its rights – no matter the cost," Qassem stressed during a speech on the Israel-Lebanon maritime border conflict.

Qassem said Hezbollah supports Lebanon's insistence to protect its maritime rights as well as the proposal it had submitted to the United Nations in August on where its maritime economic border should be.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recently said that the maritime borders proposed by Lebanon encroach upon Israeli territory, and are significantly further south than those recognized by Israel and determined in previous deals.

Qassem said Thursday that Israeli threats do not scare Hezbollah. "Israel knows its threats are worthless in Lebanon after the bitter experience it had gained in the face of Lebanon's steadfast stance," he said.

remainder: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/hezbollah-lebanon-will-not-let-israel-seize-its-natural-gas-1.373201

[aquart]

1. Nothing scares Hezbullah except an Iranian with a camera.

[Alamuti Lotus]

3. What? *nt

[aquart]

5. That's how they were identified during #iranelection.

The Iranians were positive that Hezbullah was working with the Basij. Didn't speak Farsi, or not good Farsi. They pieced together shots of the same guys with guns all over the place.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

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[Igel]

2. Yeah.

Rights it's suddenly become aware of.

Of course, when a claim becomes a right you're left with having pretty much anything goes in order to protect those rights. Esp. when your ontology of human rights is according to an Allah-ordained hierarchy.

There are fundies, then there are fundies.

[azurnoir]

6. actually if you care to do some homework Lebanon brought this issue to the UN almost a tear ago

oh and the US backs Lebanon, can't imagine why Ha'aretz would chose to presebt it in this manner well 'sept oit makes a good headline huh?

[shira]

4. Riiight. Anything to distract from what's going on in Syria. n/t

[azurnoir]

7. U.S. backs Lebanon on maritime border dispute with Israel

Amid rising tensions over gas reserves, Israel to submit proposal to UN on where maritime economic border with Lebanon should be over next few days; U.S. endorsed Lebanon's proposal submitted to UN in August.

<snip>

The Lebanese proposal does not include the large Tamar and Leviathan gas prospects, operated by Delek Energy and U.S. company Noble Energy. But the National Infrastructure Ministry found that the proposal contains reserves with a potential value in the billions of dollars.

<snip>

The Foreign Ministry official said Israel had asked the Americans to relay a warning to Lebanon on the matter. Foreign Ministry officials told Hof that Israel would not allow a provocation on the matter or an attack on Israeli gas installations. They said Israel would consider such an attack an attack on its sovereign territory and would retaliate "strongly" against Lebanon.

Hof responded by suggesting that Israel submit to the United Nations its own outlook on the border and try to launch a dialogue. Hof asked Israel not to turn the issue into a political spat but to see it as an economic and technical matter that could benefit all parties.



http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/u-s-backs-lebanon-on-maritime-border-dispute-with-israel-1.372377