London-based Energean’s drill ship begins drilling at the Karish natural gas field offshore Israel in the east Mediterranean on May 9, 2022. Photo: Reuters/Ari Rabinovitch

Israeli officials on Wednesday said they were committed to protecting the country’s offshore gas assets, and urged Lebanon to advance talks to settle a long-running maritime border dispute between the two countries, following an escalation in rhetoric from Beirut.

The tensions center around the Karish (“shark”) field, which Israel has said is firmly within its exclusive economic zone. Lebanon has maintained that it is located in disputed territory, with its president and premier both warning Israel against operations there.

In a joint statement, Israel’s ministers of foreign affairs, defense, and energy called Karish “a strategic asset” that “is located in Israeli territory, several kilometers south of the area over which negotiations are being conducted” between Israel and Lebanon.

On Monday, the Lebanese government invited a US mediator on the maritime border issue to Beirut, while the Lebanon-based, Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah said it was ready to act against Israel if needed.

In response, the Israeli ministers urged Lebanon to “accelerate” the indirect, US-brokered talks, which seek to officially determine the maritime border between the two countries, but have repeatedly stalled.

“Locating gas-based energy sources can greatly assist Lebanon’s economy and its citizens, and it is in the interest of the State of Lebanon to advance the dialogue on this matter,” the ministers said. “We hope that this will occur.”

“The rig will not pump gas from the disputed territory,” they added, before conveying Israel’s willingness and ability to “defend [its strategic assets] and the security of its infrastructure, all in accordance with its rights.”

The rig for Karish arrived in Israel on Sunday, according to Israel’s Energy Ministry. It is expected to fulfill about half of Israel’s natural gas demand, with commercial production slated to begin in September.