Jerusalem - (AFP) - Energy PLC, which works for Israel, announced that it is ready to start extracting gas from the Karish field , located in the eastern Mediterranean , within a few weeks, and is disputed between Lebanon and the Jewish state.

The United States has been mediating for two years between Lebanon and Israel, the two neighboring countries that are still officially at war, to reach an agreement that demarcates the maritime borders between them and removes obstacles to oil and gas exploration and extraction.
While Lebanon says that the Karish field is located in a part of the disputed waters with Israel, the Hebrew state says that the entire field is located in its exclusive economic zone.

Tensions between Israel and its neighbor escalated in June when a gas production and storage vessel chartered for the Hebrew state by the London-based Energy Plc company arrived in the disputed maritime area.

On Thursday, Energy plc said in a report on its first-half results that "our main project, Karish, is on its way to start production in a few weeks."

However, Hezbollah, the armed organization with great influence in Lebanon, has repeatedly warned the Hebrew state against carrying out any activity in Karish before reaching an agreement in this regard with Lebanon.

On the second of July, Israel said that it had intercepted three Hezbollah drones that were heading to the gas fields in the Mediterranean.

And on August 22, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz warned that any Hezbollah attack on Karish could lead to a new war between the Jewish state and the party.

Gantz said at the time that gas extraction operations would begin "when (the field) is ready for production," stressing that the Karish field is located within the territorial waters of the Jewish state.

In 2006, Hezbollah, which enjoys great political influence in Lebanon, fought a bloody war against Israel that lasted 33 days.
Israel and Lebanon resumed negotiations on their maritime borders in 2020. These negotiations later stopped before resuming in June.

Initial discussions focused on a disputed 860 square kilometer area, according to Lebanon's claims registered with the United Nations in 2011.

Later, Lebanon requested that the area of this area be expanded to 1,430 square kilometers, to include the Karish field, which Israel considers to be within its exclusive economic zone.