An Israeli offshore natural gas rig. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

i24 News – Israel will supply natural gas to Lebanon in a US-brokered deal intended to minimize Iran’s hold over the impoverished and crisis-stricken country, Hebrew-language Channel 12 News reported.

Lebanon, which officially regards Israel as an enemy state, reached an agreement last year on bringing Jordanian electricity and Egyptian gas into the country via war-torn Syria, while the Shi’ite terrorist group Hezbollah is delivering fuel from its Iranian paymasters.

However, the country is still grappling with round-the-clock power cuts that last at least 20 hours a day due to a financial crisis that has hampered key imports, including fuel for power stations.

According to Channel 12 News, the Israel-Lebanon agreement was brokered by Amos Hochstein, Special US Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs, and signed in the past few days.