Israel expects US-mediated Lebanese border talks in weeks

 Israel expects to start U.S.-mediated talks with Lebanon on setting a maritime border within weeks, a senior Israeli official said Tuesday.

Lebanon has not commented publicly on whether it would attend talks or on any possible timeline.

The official said that the U.N. peacekeeping compound in southern Lebanon is a possible venue for the maritime border talks.

This comes as acting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Satterfield has been shuttling back and forth between Beirut and Tel Aviv to facilitate talks on the border issue. Last month, he conveyed new developments during separate meetings with Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil.

Satterfield told the officials that Israel had agreed to two important Lebanese demands: that the United Nations be involved in the mediation, and that both land and sea disputes be resolved together.

The United Nations-demarcated Blue Line, which currently separates Lebanon and Israel’s land territory with over 200 points, contains at least 13 disputed points by the Lebanese government.

Around 856 square kilometers of waters is also disputed; Lebanon and Israel each claim the area to be part of their exclusive economic zone. With potential offshore oil and gas resources, both sides are keen to attract international investments.