In February 2018, Lebanon signed its first contract for offshore drilling for oil and gas with a consortium comprising energy giants Total, ENI and Novatek.
Two blocks in the eastern Mediterranean are part of the deal, but Israel claims that part of Block 9 belongs to the Jewish state.
U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri deliver statements to the press at the U.S. Department of State on August 15, 2019.
Relations between the two neighbouring countries have been rocky for months in the wake of the maritime dispute, involving tit-for-tat diplomatic moves and retaliation.
In May, Somali diplomats were banned from attending an international conference in Nairobi. In return, all NGOs operating in Somalia but based in Nairobi were ordered by Mogadishu to either relocate to Somalia or cease all operations completely.
Bolton‘s comments were quickly highlighted on social media by critics, including journalist Jeremy Scahill, whose latest episode of the podcast Intercepted, published Wednesday, focused entirely on how the Trump administration „is openly engaging in a blatant effort to overthrow“ Maduro.