Israeli–Lebanese maritime border dispute

[1] Both countries laid claim to different maritime borders for decades, which became a matter of concern after the discovery of massive deposits of natural gas off the Israeli coast in 2010.

The negotiations led to an agreement signed by Israel and Lebanon on 27 October 2022 and guaranteed by the United States, which established a maritime boundary and ended the dispute between the two countries, opening the way for each to exploit the natural resources of the area.

[3] The portion of the Karish gas field which was located within undisputed Israeli territory began being developed for extraction in 2017, but work was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Negotiations ultimately stalled, with Minister of Energy of Israel Yuval Steinitz citing the Lebanese's inconsistency in demarcating the two nation's maritime border as the main factor, claiming that Lebanon had "changed its position... seven times.

Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker, who mediated between the parties, and United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Ján Kubiš attended the first round of talks.

[16] On 12 April 2021, caretaker Minister of Public works and Transport Michel Najjar signed a document which expanded Lebanon's claim to 1400 square kilometres.

[18] In June, Hochstein presented Lebanon's proposal to the Israeli government but tensions sparked after a drilling platform arrived at one of the fields, during which Hezbollah launched drones towards the rig which were intercepted by the IDF.

[21][22] Hochstein and Brett McGurk, adviser to US President Joe Biden on Middle East affairs, met with the parties separately after the assembly and discussed the draft agreement.

[38] Israel has said it could begin extracting oil and gas from the Karish field and export it to Europe within weeks of signing the deal and amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.