Hezbollah says will 'sever' Israel's hands if it reaches for disputed gas

Lebanon's Hezbollah chief Hasan Nasrallah warns Israel against reaching for offshore gas reserves at a time US-mediated talks are aiming to settle a maritime border dispute.

"The hand that reaches for any of this wealth will be severed," Nasrallah, head of the Iran-backed Shiite Muslim political and military movement, told supporters in southern Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold.

"Lebanon's oil, gas and water resources must remain under its control and no one should be allowed to rob the country," he said.

The dispute escalated in early June after Israel moved a production vessel near the Karish offshore field, which is partly claimed by Lebanon.

This prompted Beirut to call for the resumption of US-mediated negotiations, while Nasrallah has responded by repeatedly launching threats.

On July 2, Israel said it had downed three drones launched by Hezbollah that were headed towards Karish.

That same month, the movement released a video it said showed surveillance of several Israeli-chartered ships, including the production vessel sent to Karish.

Nasrallah said that "we are waiting for a response to the demands of the Lebanese state, and we will respond accordingly, but I tell you ... we must be ready and prepared for all possibilities.

"We will go all the way, so no one should try us."

Lebanon and Israel, which fought their last war in 2006, had resumed maritime border negotiations in 2020 but the process had been stalled until the latest developments revived negotiations in June.