Israel has approved for the Qatari Energy Consortium to be involved in drilling for natural gas in the Kana-Sidon undersea reservoir. Drilling rights in this zone, called Block 9, are currently in the hands of French TotalEnergies and Italian Eni companies.
On Nov. 15, Israel signed an agreement with both companies to begin energy exploration in the area. Block 9 lies within Lebanon’s territorial waters, but the exploration might extend into Israel’s waters. Israel’s Nov. 22 approval will enable the Qatari company to buy some of the drilling rights from the French company to participate in the expected exploration.