US rallies Europe in defense of Israel’s claim of disputed gas field with Lebanon

The Cradle

Washington is pushing the EU to designate Hezbollah's political bloc as a 'terrorist movement,' hoping to undermine Lebanon's defense of its natural riches

Israel’s Leviathan natural gas field. (Photo credit: AFP/Getty Images)

The US sent a special request to the leaders of the EU on 29 July, urging them to classify the political wing of Hezbollah as a “terrorist movement.”

According to Maariv, the US is worried about the ongoing tensions between Lebanon and Israel over the maritime dispute and wants to alert Europe of the pending dangers.

Hezbollah’s confrontational rhetoric towards Israel set off alarms in Washington, and the nation is now attempting to get Europe onboard in order to undermine Hezbollah.

Unlike the US, Europe does not classify the political branch of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization and has preserved a communication backdoor with the political bloc.

On 28 July, the White House sent a message to the US Congress to continue the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13441 with respect to Lebanon.

In August 2007,  former US president George W. Bush issued an order that stipulates the implementation of a Lebanon sanctions program against any party or individual that would undermine Lebanon’s sovereignty.

“Iran’s continuing arms transfers to Hezbollah, which include increasingly sophisticated weapons systems, serve to undermine Lebanese sovereignty and economic instability in the region,” the message reads.

Additionally, Biden classified the actions of Hezbollah as “an extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.”

Since 2021, the US has sponsored non-direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel to resolve an ongoing dispute over a maritime border between line 1 and 29, under which there are vast gas resources.

However, the lack of progress and US reluctance to play a non-biased mediatory role drove Hezbollah to exert pressure on Israel.

Israel is expected to start gas extraction from the disputed territory in September.

“If the extraction of oil and gas starts in September before Lebanon retrieves its rights, we are heading toward a confrontation,” Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah warned in a speech earlier this month.