Even before the signing of an agreement with Lebanon on a joint maritime border, Israel has begun producing gas from the Karish field in the Mediterranean Sea.
The British-Greek company Energean made the announcement on Wednesday. The official signing of the agreement with Lebanon is planned for Thursday.
Both sides had agreed on a joint maritime border about a fortnight ago after decades of wrangling. The background to the row was a disputed sea area off the coast.
The conflict intensified after the discovery of large quantities of natural gas reserves. According to the deal, Lebanon is to exploit the Qana gas field and Israel the Karish field.
The negotiations were mediated by the United States.
At the same time, both countries emphasized that the talks did not mean a normalization of their relations. They are still officially in a state of war.
Gas from Israel could also help alleviate the energy crisis in Europe. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the EU has increasingly been looking for other gas suppliers.
