Jerusalem, Sep 17 Israel's Energy Ministry has said in a statement that it was preparing to connect the Karish gas field to the national natural gas transmission system in the coming days.
The Karish gas field, located in the Mediterranean Sea off the shores of Israel and Lebanon, is in dispute between the two countries. Israel claims it is within its economic zone, while Lebanon claims it is in the disputed waters.
The Israeli statement said on Friday that in the coming days, inspection of the rig and the transmission system from the rig to the Israeli national network will begin, Xinhua news agency reported.
At the current stage, there will be no natural gas production yet. The systems will be tested by natural gas flowing in the opposite direction, from the shore to the rig, it noted.
Lebanese authorities are trying to reach a solution with Israel to end a dispute over maritime borders, which has escalated after Israel on June 5 sent a vessel to the Karish field.
On Wednesday, Lebanese President Michel Aoun said that the border demarcation negotiations between the two countries have made progress, and only a few technical details remain to be solved.
The Lebanese military organisation Hezbollah recently threatened to attack Karish rig if Israel proceeds with its plans to extract gas from the disputed area without first resolving the maritime border dispute with Lebanon.
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