Lebanon's parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, on Saturday said a US-brokered draft deal demarcating a disputed maritime border with Israel was "positive" but must be studied before a final reply is given, Reuters reported.
Earlier on Saturday, the Lebanese presidency said Beirut had received a letter from US mediator Amos Hochstein regarding proposals for the maritime boundary demarcation between Lebanon and Israel.
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 dispute escalated in June after Israel moved a production vessel near the Karish offshore field, angering Lebanon, which claims part of the field.
Hochstein has been shuttling between Lebanon and Israel in an effort to seal a deal that would pave the way for offshore energy exploration.
In a tweet quoted by Reuters, the US embassy in Beirut said Ambassador Dorothy Shea had met President Michel Aoun, Berri and Prime Minister Najib Mikati "to provide the USproposal for a final agreement on the maritime boundary line".
Berri, a Hezbollah ally and one of Lebanon's most influential politicians, told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper the draft of the final agreement was "positive", according a statement circulated by his office.
He considered that the draft "meets in principle the Lebanese demands" which reject the maritime boundary deal having any impact on the land border between the two countries, it said.
Berri noted however that the agreement was 10 pages and in English and "would require study before the final response to it is given".
The Hezbollah terrorist organization, which has a significant presence in the Lebanese cabinet, has threatened an “escalation” if Lebanon does not get what it wants in the US-mediated maritime border negotiations with Israel.
The group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, said in a speech on Saturday that the receipt of the letter was "a very important step" and the coming days would be crucial.
Previously, Nasrallah took aim at Hochstein, who was born in Israel, accused him of being “dishonest” and added, "If you want to continue negotiating, go ahead, but not in Naqoura (the UNIFIL site in southern Lebanon hosting the talks), and not with Hochstein, Frankenstein, or any other Stein coming to Lebanon."