Lebanon’s President Aoun announces approval of maritime border deal with Israel but rejects any normalization
Lebanon has approved a US-mediated maritime border deal with Israel, with President Michel Aoun stressing that the country has recovered a large swathe of its territory without even conceding a single square kilometer to the regime.
"I announce the approval by Lebanon of the final version prepared by the American mediator to delineate the southern maritime border," the Lebanese president said in a televised speech on Thursday.
Aoun described the deal as a "historic achievement," and said Lebanon was "able to recover a disputed area of 860 square kilometers.”
"Lebanon did not concede a single square kilometer to Israel," he said, adding that his country had seized full control over the Qana field.
"This indirect agreement responds to the Lebanese claims and fully preserves our rights," Aoun said, stressing that "no normalization with Israel took place and no direct talks or agreements were held with it."
إن هذه الاتفاقية غير المباشرة تتجاوب مع المطالب اللبنانية وتحفظ حقوقنا كاملة، وأشكر كل من وقف إلى جانب لبنان في هذا الإنجاز الذي ما كان ليتحقق لولا وحدة الموقف اللبناني وصلابته في مقاومة كل الضغوط وفي عدم تقديمه أي تنازلات جوهرية، وعدم دخوله في أي نوع من أنواع التطبيع المرفوض
— General Michel Aoun (@General_Aoun) October 13, 2022
The announcement came a day after the Israeli regime’s cabinet approved by majority the formula for the maritime border demarcation agreement with Lebanon.
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese resistance movement of Hezbollah, said on Tuesday that the movement will not recognize any maritime border deal between Lebanon and the Israeli regime until it is officially signed.
Nasrallah said "we will remain vigilant" until such a deal is finalized, noting a proper deal should meet the Lebanese government's demands.
A senior Hezbollah lawmaker also said Lebanon’s firm position and the resistance movement’s efforts had helped the country safeguard its maritime rights in indirect talks with the Israeli regime and eventually forced the Zionist enemy to retreat.
Lebanon and the Israeli regime carried out five sessions of indirect talks on the demarcation of maritime borders starting 2020, with the latest round held in May 2021. Since the negotiations kicked off, Hezbollah declared that extraction of gas from Karish without guarantees to Lebanon that it will be able to explore and extract its maritime resources is a red line.
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