The U.S.-mediated border demarcation talks between Lebanon and Israel have been postponed until further notice, Lebanese and Israeli official sources told Reuters on Monday.
The next meeting in UNIFIL’s headquarters in Naqoura, South Lebanon, was set to take place on Wednesday before it was postponed.
This comes less than 2 months after the longtime enemies held their first negotiation session on October 14th to attempt to end their maritime border dispute.
Lebanon was reportedly informed about the negotiations’ postponement by the U.S. delegation that has been taking part in them as a mediator.
The mediators will have bilateral contacts with both sides, a Lebanese security source told Reuters, to which an Israeli official confirmed the delay without giving any further details about the development.
Lebanon and Israel recently exchanged critical remarks regarding the former’s stance on the border demarcation.
This happened around a week ago, after Lebanese President Michel Aoun announced Lebanon’s starting point for the demarcation.
The announcement was followed by a comment from Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, who accused Lebanon of switching its position “7 times,” a claim that President Aoun called “baseless.”
Steinitz later invited Aoun to a face-to-face meeting in Europe, to which Aoun did not respond.
Notably, Israeli aircraft violated the Lebanese airspace and flew over several regions across the country on Monday, including over Beirut, at alternating altitudes that reportedly reached particularly low levels over the Nabatieh Governorate.
