TEHRAN- The Secretary-General of Lebanon's Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, says his movement will await the official announcement and final draft text from the Lebanese state on the country's maritime dispute with Israel before making its position known.

He pointed out that the negotiations on the agreement for the demarcation of the Lebanese maritime borders had been difficult over the past days and says the movement will remain "vigilant", while urging calm among Hezbollah supporters.

During his speech, on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the Islamic unity week, Nasrallah said "we are facing crucial hours on the issue of border demarcation and the extraction of oil and gas." 

For weeks now an American mediator has been shuttling between Beirut and the occupied Israeli territories to settle the maritime line between the two sides. The offshore waters are rich in gas and oil. Hezbollah had previously said it would wage war against Israel if the regime began extracting the natural resources before an agreement is signed to establish what legally belongs to Lebanon. 

Hezbollah has maintained that it hasn't been involved in the negotiations and will respect whatever the country's leaders (the President, Prime Minister and Parliament Speaker) accept as a genuine deal that preserves the country's territorial integrity.

The Hezbollah chief says, "We are awaiting the announcement of the official position from the President of the Lebanese Republic, and we are awaiting the official position from the enemy government," noting that only when "the delegations go to sign the deal in Naqoura (a southern border post), according to the agreed mechanism, we can say that there is an agreement or an understanding."

Lebanese President Michel Aoun, wrote on social media that “the final version of the offer is satisfactory for Lebanon and answers its demands and preserves its rights to its natural wealth." The office of the presidency has also confirmed that "the final version of the southern maritime border agreement is satisfactory, and meets the Lebanese demands."

Earlier, the deputy Lebanese Parliament speaker, Elias Bou Saab, confirmed that "Lebanon has received from Washington the final version of the draft maritime border agreement with Israel," noting that "the draft takes into account all Lebanese requirements." He added that a "historic agreement may be imminent."

He said, "The file of demarcation of the maritime borders has been completed and has been placed in the custody of the President," noting that "the agreement is fair and satisfies both parties."

His office hoped that "the agreement on demarcation would be announced as soon as possible," adding that President Aoun would conduct the necessary consultations on this national issue, in preparation for an official announcement of the unified national position.
The indirect negotiations have been led by the American mediator, Amos Hochstein.

Sayyed Nasrallah stressed that "until the signing of the agreement, we have to be careful in light of the contradictory Israeli positions," noting that "when the Lebanese President announces the country's [official] position in favor of the agreement, this matter will be settled with regards to the resistance."

The Secretary-General of Hezbollah indicated that "after the publication of the agreement's text, each person can approach the results in a responsible manner, to judge it positively or negatively," adding that "the approach to the agreement after publishing its text must be carried out in a patriotic spirit."

Nasrallah highlighted that "we are facing a new experience in which the presidents and officials in the state cooperated, and it was greatly embraced by the environment that embraced the resistance."

Before any negotiations began, the Lebanese resistance movement sent several drones in the summer over the Karish field (the heart of the maritime dispute) as a warning to Israel not to start drilling. Over the past months, Hezbollah has been urging the Lebanese government to act with urgency on the matter. 

Hezbollah has also warned Israel that its missiles can strike every point off the shores of occupied Palestinian territories should the regime start the extraction process.

In his speech, Nasrallah stressed that "Lebanon has been able to obtain this great achievement in a time frame that no one was interested in and in obtaining the country's rights," noting that "after the issue of the drones, we did not need to send others, or conduct maneuvers, because the goal was to make the enemy understand that the resistance was serious."

The Hezbollah chief explained that "for us in the resistance, our sea extends to Gaza," pointing out that "when Palestine is liberated, we will not disagree with our Palestinian brothers on our maritime borders."

Nasrallah also addressed the resistance fighters, saying, "You will maintain your readiness, vigilance, and measures until we see, with our own eyes, that the understanding has been signed, and after the understanding there is another day [in the resistance against Israel]."

He added that there were "many things the resistance did, the Israelis saw, realized and heard about, and our people did not see the activities that conveyed our message [to Israel]."

Reaching an agreement on the demarcation of the southern maritime borders will mean the start of the exploration process for oil and gas in Lebanese fields within the exclusive economic zone, which will  drive up the Lebanese economy and meet its energy shortages.

Earlier this week, a company working for Israel announced the start of a preliminary work in the Karish field to prepare for the drilling process, a process that could have hampered the advanced stages of negotiations.

But Israeli media was quick to point out that "Israel’s officials asked the American mediator, Amos Hochstein, to inform Lebanon that it will not extract gas yet from the Karish field," and that "Tel Aviv is interested in sending the message to the Secretary-General of Hezbollah that it does not want war."
A senior Israeli army official, Amir Avivi, attacked Israeli authorities for striking a deal, saying "Hezbollah subjugated Israel and brought it to its knees."

"We are witnessing a dangerous precedent here in which Hezbollah threatens us, and we, on the other hand, are regressing towards Lebanon's positions very quickly before the elections, Hezbollah brought Israel to its knees," Avivi remarked.

As for the occupied Palestine, Sayyed Nasrallah said that "what is happening in the West Bank today shocks the Israeli entity and all its political forces."

He stressed that "the resistance today in the West Bank needs all kinds of political, media and popular solidarity."

"The message of the West Bank and al-Quds is a very strong message, and the resistance in the West Bank and al-Quds needs solidarity, support and protection, and it has the ability, God willing, to change the equations. Today in the West Bank there is a real resistance and a real uprising."

The Hezbollah chief congratulated the decision taken by the Gaza-based Hamas movement to strengthen relations with Syria, and pointed out “this decision is a brave, wise, correct and sound decision, because today we in Palestine and the region and in the axis of resistance are in dire need of regrouping and reunification.”  

"The move to improve ties between Hamas and Syria is at the heart of the resistance axis, through its governments, armies, movements and factions."

Regarding the latest million-man marches across Yemen this week, Sayyed Nasrallah said, "We bow before the Yemeni people and their love for the Messenger of God, on the occasion of the commemoration of the Prophet's birthday and the method of commemoration in various provinces and to express their love by all means for the Messenger of God."

He added, "These besieged people, on whom a war has been imposed for eight years, and who suffer from many living, health and security crises, gather in millions at the Prophet's birthday in unparalleled scenes."

Nasrallah also called on "the coalition of aggression to listen to the words of (the revolution's leader) Sayyed Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, and to understand the message of the [Yemeni] military parades."