Lebanon Cyprus Deal Shows How Beirut Is Repositioning After War With Israel

Lebanon’s new maritime deal with Cyprus pulls Beirut into the EastMed energy grid, hedging against Israeli threats, courting Europe’s protection, and betting on offshore gas to anchor post-war recover

Source: AP

Lebanon has just signed a maritime border agreement with Cyprus, ending nearly 20 years of deadlock, and finally fixing its exclusive economic zones in the eastern Mediterranean. The deal was signed in Baabda on 26 November, clearing legal space for offshore gas exploration, and an electricity interconnector that would plug Lebanon into the Euro-Mediterranean grid. This is Beirut’s first serious post-war move to reposition itself inside the regional map, rather than just absorb Israeli airstrikes.

The timing is not accidental. The agreement comes days after Israel killed Hezbollah’s chief of staff in a strike on Beirut and mulled further military escalation. At the same time, senior Israeli officials are again talking about the option of withdrawing from the 2022 US-brokered maritime deal with Lebanon, framing it as a mistake, and promising a harder line. In other words, while Tel Aviv flirts with tearing up the existing framework, Beirut is quietly locking in new legal facts with Cyprus, and by extension with the European Union.

Aoun's mission: Integrating Lebanon in the IMEC and Abraham Market