Talks with Lebanon continue today (Friday) in order to reach an agreement. This comes amid fears of the agreement falling apart, due to the amendments passed by Lebanon, and rejected by Israel. The Biden administration has been putting pressure on Lebanon in the past day to back down from some of its new demands. The American mediator Amos Hochstein is in direct contact with both the Israeli side and the Lebanese side. An Israeli official defined the situation at the moment as a desperate attempt at the talks themselves.
Preparing for an escalation in the north A security source: “The chance of escalation has increased due to the disputes in the negotiations with Lebanon.” Will Nasrallah start a conflict? @roysharon11 #The evening news pic.twitter.com/CTsF6mMsd9
— here news (@kann_news) October 6, 2022
The member of the political-security cabinet, Minister Nitzan Horowitz, said in an interview with Yaara Shapira that “I think there is a chance to sign the agreement with Lebanon before the elections, both countries have a great interest in this agreement. Both countries have a political schedule that increases the chance of this happening in the very near future.” Work on the agreement continues.”
Listen to the interview with Nitzan Horowitz
The head of the Shlomi Council, Gabi Naaman, referred to the threat of escalation and said in an interview with Yaara Shapira on the program This Morning on the Kan Network B: “The announcement of the Minister of Defense is really irresponsible. It put all the residents under pressure. On the other hand, the Northern Command told us that we are in full routine. Gantz’s announcement brings You put the residents of the area under unnecessary pressure. I am really worried because a thousand families in my area are without MMD. I ask that they not create an atmosphere of war, because we are not ready for that.”
The Lebanese Minister of Information said in an interview with Al Jazeera that the fate of the agreement will be determined in less than a week: “The talks with the Americans do not stop. Nothing official has reached the Lebanese government through the mediator. Everyone is waiting for the result.”
An official Lebanese official added in a message to the Hezbollah-affiliated al-Akhbar newspaper that Lebanon informed the mediator that it would not retract the comments it had made and that the United States must keep its promises and settle matters with Israel. It was also reported in the local press that senior French officials conveyed a message that the French company is obligated to meet the Lebanese demand that its work in the field not be conditioned by the agreement.
At the same time, the editor of the same newspaper published an article under the title “If you are thinking of blowing up the agreement…”. In the article he wrote that if Israel believes that the delay in activity and the agreement will prevent Hezbollah from acting, then they should think about whether this could lead to disruptions in other fields (probably a hint to disruption of activity in other gas fields). He added that the possibility that the president of Lebanon will soon be replaced actually hurts Israel because Hezbollah respects him.
The agreement with Lebanon The American administration believes: “Despite the atmosphere – an agreement can be reached within days. The talks will continue as long as neither side blows up the negotiations”#The evening news @AmichaiStein1 pic.twitter.com/Gq2Tw7K6H4
— here news (@kann_news) October 6, 2022
On the other hand, Western diplomats delivered news here: “It’s not over until it’s over – it’s a blow to the negotiations, but there’s some space left before we can say whether the talks will succeed or fail.” This, when the American mediator Amos Hochstein has been passing messages between the parties since morning. The Western diplomats also said that the United States is trying to convince Lebanon to “get off the tree” and also France, whose government believes that “the deal is good for both sides”, may join the pressure on Lebanon.