An Israeli Navy patrol boat has entered Lebanese territorial waters near Cape Naqoura. The Lebanese army command said so in a statement issued by the El Watania news agency on Monday.
"On October 9 at 19:07, an Israeli enemy boat entered Lebanese territorial waters opposite Cape Naqoura at a distance of 259 meters [and stayed there] for 35 minutes," the document said.
The Lebanese military informed the command of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) of Israeli violations of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which established a ceasefire on the border after the summer 2006 conflict.
Lebanon and Israel are disputing an 856-square-kilometer area of the shelf from each other, each side considers it part of its exclusive economic zone in the Eastern Mediterranean. The maritime boundary between the two neighbors, which have been formally at war since 1948, has not yet been established.
Negotiations to resolve the maritime border dispute are being mediated by the United States. Earlier, US emissary Amos Hochstein handed over a draft agreement to the Israeli and Lebanese sides. The authorities of both countries said at the time that they were "generally" satisfied with the proposed draft, but should continue consultations before giving a final answer.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Xevi V/Creative Commons 2.0
Based on materials from TASS