Karish gas rig begins pipeline tests amid rising fears of war with Hezbollah

Israel began testing the gas rig at the Karish field near the disputed waters with Lebanon on Sunday in a move that could escalate tensions between the countries.

Over the weekend, Defense Minister Benny Gantz threatened to destroy Lebanon if Hezbollah attacked Israel, but struck an optimistic note about the pending maritime gas deal between Israel and Lebanon, saying it was still on the table and could be concluded “within days.”

“Negotiations are continuing,” Gantz said in interviews he gave on Friday.

Energean, the Greek company that has the license to pump the gas from Karish, was given the green light from Israel to start testing the pipeline and initiated the tests on Sunday morning. The gas will be pumped from the land station to the sea-based rig to see that that the pipe is operational.

Israeli Navy vessels patrol Mediterranean waters off Israel’s crossing at Rosh Hanikra, known in Lebanon as Ras al-Naqura, a border area between the two countries, this week (credit: JALAA MAREY/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES)

Those tests are expected to last a month and if everything works right, the rig could begin pumping gas from beneath the seabed within a few weeks.

Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed terrorist group which operates in Lebanon, has warned Israel against putting the Karish gas field in service, and the IDF is prepared to respond harshly in such an instance.

“Israel is prepared to reach a deal, but it is also determined to preserve its security and economic interests. In light of this, I have instructed the IDF to be prepared for an escalation that does not necessarily need to occur,” Gantz said in the interviews which were published on Saturday night.

Gantz said that he had placed the IDF on high readiness in terms of intelligence, offensive, and defensive operations in the north.

“If Hezbollah will make this mistake and attack Israel, in any way – by land, sea,or air – Israel will protect itself, attack them and if it turns into something wider, we will destroy Lebanon,” he warned.