Report: Israel disappointed after Hochstein reports no Lebanese flexibility

There is “severe disappointment” among Israeli officials over what they heard from visiting U.S. energy mediator Amos Hochstein, who “did not report any flexibility on the part of the Lebanese” side, Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Thursday.

“In Jerusalem, there was an expectation that during the visit of U.S. President Joe Biden to Israel, there would be progress towards an agreement, and the current development is particularly worrying in light of (Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan) Nasrallah's threats,” the newspaper added.

Yedioth Ahronoth commentator Ron Ben-Yishai meanwhile noted that “while Nasrallah knows that bombing the (Karish gas) rig will be a declaration of war, in practice he is not trying to destroy the rig but only to create a ‘cloud of threats’ that frightens the international community and the Lebanese government.”

The report comes after Hochstein met with Israel’s Energy Minister Karen Elharrar on Thursday.

Elharrar said after the talks that she “will continue to work to create an agreement that will protect Israel's strategic and security assets.” Hochstein for his part said that some of the gaps have been reduced and that good progress has been made in both Lebanon and Israel.

"We have reduced some of the gaps, we had good talks. After I return from Saudi Arabia we will continue discussions. There should be a mutual agreement between Israel and Lebanon, and the role of the U.S. is to help reach an agreement that will serve the interests of the two countries. We estimate that we have made good progress in both Lebanon and Israel," Yedioth Ahronoth quoted Hochstein as saying.