US, Lebanon Deny Report of Israeli Gas Deal

Both the United States and Lebanon have denied an Israeli media report saying that Washington had brokered a deal for Israel to supply Lebanon with natural gas.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported on Motzei Shabbos that an agreement had been signed secretly that would see Israel transfer gas from the Leviathan field to Jordan, from where it would be sent on to Lebanon by way of Syria.

The agreement was approved by the United States and was also coordinated with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the report.

The report said that the deal was partly designed to provide Lebanon an alternative to Iran as it seeks to recover from a deep economic crisis.

But on Sunday, the U.S. State Department said it wasn’t so.

Earlier on Sunday, the Lebanese Energy Ministry issued a “categorical denial” of the report, saying that the agreement being reached with Egypt would have Lebanon receive natural gas from Egypt, with the gas transported through Jordan and Syria.

Egypt receives millions of cubic feet of natural gas from Israel every day. The Lebanese Energy Ministry did not mention if it had requested that Egypt not use this gas in the supply which will be provided to Lebanon.