US envoy Amos Hochstein arrived in Beirut on Sunday to push talks to resolve the maritime border dispute between Lebanon and Israel over Mediterranean waters with offshore gas fields, AFP reported.
"Reaching a resolution is both necessary and possible, but can only be done through negotiations and diplomacy," the US State Department said in a statement ahead of Hochstein's visit.
Washington's envoy for global infrastructure and investment is "facilitating negotiations between Lebanon and Israel on the maritime boundary", the statement added.
Hochstein met with Lebanon's Energy Minister Walid Fayad on Sunday, and was scheduled to meet with President Michel Aoun and prime minister Najib Mikati the following day, according to AFP.
In 2021, official discussions commenced between representatives of Israel and Lebanon, with the aim of reaching an agreement on their maritime border.
There have been major natural gas discoveries off the coasts of both countries during the last decade, and the border dispute has halted gas exploration in an area that has attracted the interest of US energy companies.
The talks were initiated after Lebanon signed its first contract to drill for oil and gas off its coast with a consortium comprising energy giants Total, ENI and Novatek, including in a block disputed by Israel.
Israel says one of two blocks in the eastern Mediterranean where Lebanon wants to drill for oil belongs to it, and had denounced any exploration by Beirut as "provocative".
Last month, the Lebanese government objected to the arrival of a vessel operated by London-based Energean off the Mediterranean coast to develop the Karish field.
The move prompted Beirut to call for the resumption of the US-mediated negotiations on the demarcation dispute.
Officials in Israel said last week they believe that the maritime dispute with Lebanon is on the brink of a solution.
According to the officials, Hochstein is expected to present during his visit to Lebanon a compromise between the demands of Israel and those of Lebanon: The Karish gas rig will be included in the territory of Israel, and the same company will drill both in Israel and in Lebanon.
Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said on Friday, ahead of Hochstein’s visit, that there is more optimism than ever on reaching a deal.