Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has cautioned Tel Aviv against continuing drilling and extraction operations at the disputed offshore Karish gas field, warning that it would prompt the group's response. He stressed that Hezbollah is ready and capable of hitting any part Israel if it needs to, even at sea.
"All land and sea targets of Israel are in the range of Hezbollah missiles," Nasrallah said in an interview with Al Mayadeen TV.
The warning comes in the wake of Lebanon-based Hezbollah expressing its disproval against Tel Aviv's actions by sending four drones in the direction of a drilling platform at the Karish gas field. None of them made it to the platform as they were shot down by the Israeli air defenses.
Hezbollah's leader called the attempted drone attack a response to Israel's "violation" of Lebanon’s borders. Nasrallah commented on the failed drones' mission stating that it was "only the beginning" and that the group is ready to wage war over the field, which is claimed by both Israel and Lebanon.
The two countries are currently engaged in talks on the issue, mediated by the US due to neither having formal diplomatic ties. The negotiations to demarcate a maritime border between the two states continue: Lebanon has already ceding a portion of territory to Israel in attempt to resolve the issue. However, Hezbollah, which holds 10% of the seats in Lebanon's Parliament, condemned the step, accusing the US of "distracting" and "pressuring" Lebanon into ceding the waters to Israel, where the group is considered a terrorist organization.
Tel Aviv, in turn, did not wait for the end of talks, sending a drilling vessel to the disputed gas field as it is poised to boost its production and export of natural gas. Furthermore, Israel's acting Prime Minister, Yair Lapid, who heads the government in anticipation of new general election, took a helicopter flight over the Karish gas field, which was seen by Hezbollah as an attempt to solidify its claims for the resource reach piece of the Mediterranean Sea.