Lebanon said on Friday it had signed its first offshore oil and gas exploration and production agreements for two blocks, one of them disputed by neighboring Israel, Haaretz reports.
Lebanon’s energy minister said the dispute with Israel would not stop Lebanon from benefiting from potential undersea reserves in the contentious Block 9, while consortium operator Total said it would not drill the block’s first well near the disputed zone.
A consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek signed the agreements for the two blocks, which are among five that Lebanon put up for tender in the country’s much-delayed first licensing round.
Israel and Lebanon have exchanged threats and condemnations over the tender, amid rising tensions over territorial and marine boundaries between them.