Lebanon continues offshore gas exploration despite Israel-Hezbollah clash

Lebanon is continuing its offshore oil and gas exploration despite the fighting that flared between pro-Iran group Hezbollah and Israel on the Lebanon-Israel border on Monday, 9 October, Lebanon's Minister of Energy confirmed to The New Arab.

"Total and the team are still engaged. So far, so good," Energy Minister Walid Fayad told TNA on Monday night.

A drilling rig operated by TotalEnergies sits off Lebanon's southern coast, where it has been conducting exploratory drilling to determine the presence of oil and gas since 24 August.

Hezbollah and Israel exchanged rocket fire on Sunday and Monday after the former launched missiles at northern Israel "in solidarity" with Hamas's attack on Israel over the weekend.

Israel intensified strikes on south Lebanon on Monday afternoon, killing at least four Hezbollah members, prompting concerns that the rocket exchange could start a war between Lebanon and Israel.

Block 9 sits about 120 kilometres west of Lebanon, with a maritime deal negotiated between Israel and Lebanon in October 2022 placing part of the field in Israel's exclusive economic zone.

Lebanon's Energy Minister previously said he expected to know the results of the exploratory mission at the beginning of December – but it is unclear if further escalation in hostilities along Lebanon's border could delay this.

On Monday, Israel decided to shut down its offshore Tamar gas field production in response to the security situation.

The fighting between Israel and the besieged coastal enclave of Gaza has killed more than 900 Israelis and over 700 Palestinians.

Israel has conducted an intense barrage of airstrikes in Gaza and amassed over 100,000 soldiers in southern Israel.

Hezbollah has reportedly signalled that a ground invasion of Gaza by Israel would prompt wider involvement from the militant group.

On Monday, US defence officials warned Hezbollah "not to open a second front" against Israel.

A senior US official pointed to sending a carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean as its "commitment ... to support the defence of Israel."