Mariam Saleh
Press TV, Naqoura
A gathering of Lebanese journalists and activists was held in the south Lebanese town of Naqoura to protest against Israel's extraction activities in the disputed waters.
Former head of the Lebanese negotiating team told Press TV that any negotiator should use all sources of power in his hands to strengthen their position facing the other party.
The speakers believed that Israeli attempts to drill in the disputed waters could escalate the current status quo.
Israeli caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid has told US envoy Amos Hochstein that he wants to make a deal with Lebanon over the disputed waters as soon as possible.
This comes a week after Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Narallah said the resistance is ready for military escalation if Western pressure to prevent Lebanon from extracting its resources continues. Hochstein is expected in Beirut later in July.
We are here in Naqura, the last Lebanese town in south Lebanon. From here at least three lines have been drawn in attempts to demarcate maritime borders, all of which remain disputed. Behind me are blocs 10 and 9, both potentially rich in gas and petrol, but Lebanese President Michel Aoun says Western pressure has hampered extraction activities.