Israel's imposition of a 'security buffer zone' in southern Lebanon that extends into Mediterranean waters has alarmed experts who say it is an attempt to occupy Lebanon's maritime territory, which holds potential oil and gas reserves.
A map of the buffer zone, demarcated by what Israel calls the 'Yellow Line', was announced by Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee on April 19, days after a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. Israel claims the zone, stretching about 10 km north of the border and covering 6% of Lebanese territory, is needed to prevent Hezbollah attacks.
Experts told Al Jazeera that the new 'defense zone' not only violates the ceasefire but also absorbs Lebanon's Qana gas project, whose exploration rights were guaranteed to Lebanon under a 2022 US-brokered maritime border agreement. The new demarcation line into Lebanon's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) includes Blocks 8 and 9 of the Qana gasfield.
In January, TotalEnergies, Eni, and QatarEnergy signed an offshore exploration permit with Lebanon for Block 8. However, Laury Haytayan, a Lebanese oil and gas expert, noted that only Block 8 has a contract for hydrocarbon activities, while exploration on Block 4 was abandoned as uneconomical and nothing was found on Block 9.
Maritime lawyer Aref Fakhry called Israel's attempt to expand into Lebanon's EEZ an 'outright land grab', violating the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the obligation to negotiate maritime boundaries in good faith. The buffer zone includes waters within 12 nautical miles of Lebanon's coast, where Lebanon has full sovereign control.
Analysts warn that any Israeli maritime occupation would devastate southern Lebanon's economy, which depends on the sea, similar to Gaza, under Israeli blockade since 2007. Researcher Ahmed Baydoun said Israeli attacks in Lebanon go 'beyond ecocide or urbicide—it's poisoning the soil, land, and air, weaponizing the environment itself.'
Despite legal agreements, experts say Israel's intentions to occupy both land and sea should be taken seriously. The question remains how far Israel's incursions will go.
Source: www.aljazeera.com