US touts 'historic breakthrough' on Israel-Lebanon maritime border
President Joe Biden called on Lebanon and Israel to now implement the agreement over their long-disputed maritime border.
The Biden administration hailed the US-mediated maritime deal reached between Lebanon and Israel on Tuesday as a “historic breakthrough” for two neighboring countries that remain technically at war.
The new agreement establishes a permanent maritime boundary between Israel and Lebanon, resolving a longstanding territorial dispute over a potentially gas-rich 330-square-mile stretch of the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
“This agreement is historic for a number of reasons,” said a senior administration official briefing reporters on Tuesday. “It provides security and safety for Israel. It provides economic opportunity and hope for Lebanon.”
The official framed the agreement as a potential economic lifeboat for Lebanon, which is suffering its worst financial crisis in decades. The small Mediterranean country's currency has lost more than 90% of its value since 2019, and the state electricity company is unable to provide residents with more than a couple hours of electricity per day.
