Israel's Buffer Zone in Lebanon Raises Questions Over Offshore Gas

A buffer zone established by Israel that extends into Lebanon's maritime territory has raised fears that it could become a long-term claim on offshore resources, Al Jazeera reported. The report frames the zone as a potential "resource grab" over disputed gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean.

The eastern Mediterranean has become a contested energy region, with several states pursuing offshore gas fields that could reshape regional supply. Control over maritime boundaries determines who can license exploration and capture revenue, which is why even a zone described in security terms has economic significance.

Israeli authorities have presented the zone as a defensive measure rather than an economic one. The competing interpretations reflect a wider regional pattern in which security arrangements established during conflict become permanent and prove difficult to reverse once fighting subsides, particularly where valuable resources lie underneath.

The dispute remains unresolved, and its outcome will depend partly on whether the broader de-escalation now under discussion between the United States and Iran extends to the Israel-Lebanon border.