Hassan Nasrallah drops threats against Israel’s offshore drilling, says group’s drones achieved goal of deterrence 

The leader of the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah on Tuesday cautiously welcomed the agreement between Israel and Lebanon to settle a maritime border dispute, claiming his group’s “resistance” helped prod Israel toward a deal.

Hezbollah had repeatedly threatened Israel during the negotiations and launched several drones at Israel’s offshore gas installations.

“Tonight we will not issue threats. Tonight there will only be joy and clapping,” Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised address, adding that Hezbollah will “remain on alert” until the agreement is signed.

“We don’t need to send out drones or carry out maneuvers because the goal was for the enemy to understand that the resistance is serious,” he said.

The terror chief also said, “Israel is more afraid of war than the Lebanese.”

Earlier Tuesday both countries announced their acceptance of the latest US proposal for the first-ever mutually agreed upon boundary between Israel and Lebanon. The two countries have no direct diplomatic relations and are technically in a state of war.

If ratified by both governments, the deal will put to bed a long-running dispute over some 860 square kilometers (330 square miles) of the Mediterranean Sea, covering the Karish and the Qana offshore gas fields.

Over the past several months, Hezbollah threatened to strike Israel if it began extracting gas from Karish. In July, the terror group launched several drones at the reservoir, which were shot down by the IDF.

Nasrallah on Tuesday dismissed those in Israel who claimed Hezbollah sought to sabotage the deal, adding that he doesn’t have any issue with Lebanese officials who have said that the deal meets their demands.

“We only care about the extraction of oil and gas from Lebanese waters and our stance on demarcation is known,” Nasrallah said, specifying that he still does not recognize Israel’s border.

Lebanon is mired in a historic financial crisis and hopes extracting gas will buoy the economy, although the agreement’s benefits for the country are likely years away.

Israel’s opposition led by former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu have decried the deal as a capitulation to Hezbollah. Netanyahu said Tuesday the agreement was a “historic surrender.”

Defense Minister Benny Gantz dismissed the charges, saying Israel “had not and will not give up on one millimeter of security.”

A senior Israeli official familiar with the negotiations told reporters Tuesday that the agreement will see the buoy-marked borderline established by Israel in 2000 five kilometers (3.1 miles) off the coast of the northern town of Rosh Hanikra recognized by the sides as an agreed-upon status quo. Lebanon will not be allowed to make counter-claims regarding that boundary unless a new maritime agreement is reached between the parties.