Free Republic

Israel on Monday warned Lebanon's Hezbollah any attack on its gas assets could spark war, after the terrorist group threatened to "sever" Israel's hands if it taps a disputed offshore field. The warning from Defense Minister Benny Gantz comes amid lengthy negotiations between the eastern Mediterranean neighbors to settle a dispute over their maritime border. Tensions spiked in June when a production vessel chartered by Israel arrived near the Karish offshore gas field, which Lebanon claims is within contested waters. Israel said on July 2 that it had downed three drones launched by Hezbollah toward Karish. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah...

Lebanon complained again to the UN on Monday that Israel’s setting a maritime border in the resource-rich triangle between Israel, Lebanon, and Cyprus threatens peace and security in the region. The move comes as Lebanon rotates into its September presidency of the Security Council at the world body, giving it the power to raise the issue for discussion. Israel’s cabinet on July 10 approved the demarcation of the northern maritime border with Lebanon, in an effort to protect economic rights in offshore territories that Lebanon is claiming as its own. Israel submitted its map to the UN to counter a...

..... During the meeting between the President and the incoming Ambassador from Cyprus to Israel, Dimitris Hatziargrou, the new Ambassador thanked the President for Israel's support during this difficult period since the explosion in the Southern part of the country. "Israel was among the first countries, if not the first, that offered assistance - and this is not a coincidence," Hatziargrou said. He also added, "the time is ripe for improving relations between Cyprus and Israel and I will do everything I can so that the relationship will realize its potential." Later in the day President Peres called the President...

PRESIDENT Evo Morales ordered the military to occupy Bolivia's natural gas fields overnight after nationalising the industry and threatening to expel foreign companies that do not recognize state control. Bolivia has the second-largest natural gas reserves in South America after Venezuela, and disputes over how the impoverished country should manage those riches have sparked several popular revolts since 2003. Ms Morales became president in January on vows to exert more state control over natural resources, reflecting a growing backlash against free markets and foreign investment in Latin America. The president chose Labor Day, May 1, to announce the nationalisation, which...