Lebanon steps up demands in maritime talks, angering Israel

12 April 2021, 2:10 pm

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Israel’s Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz accuses Lebanon of “blowing up” negotiations on the maritime border between the two countries.

“It seems that Lebanon prefers to blow up the talks instead of trying to reach agreed-upon solutions. Unfortunately, this won’t be the first time in the past 20 years that the Lebanese changed their naval maps for propaganda purposes. Obviously, unilateral Lebanese steps will be met in kind by Israel,” says Steinitz in a statement.

Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz speaks at a conference in Tel Aviv on February 27, 2019. (Flash90)

His comments come after Lebanon’s public works and transportation minister expanded Beirut’s claim over the maritime territory by 1,400 square kilometers, as compared to its previous border claim submitted to the UN, Reuters reports.