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Hizbullah Threatens to Strike Israeli Offshore Gas Platforms
(JNS) Yaakov Lappin - In recent days, Hizbullah has stepped up threats to attack Israel's offshore gas-drilling activities in the Karish field, off the coast of Haifa, due to an unresolved maritime border dispute. Israel maintains that Karish is in its exclusive economic zone in the Mediterranean Sea. Prof. Boaz Ganor, founder and executive director of the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism in Herzliya, said: "Hizbullah has the proven ability to fire advanced shore-to-sea missiles to strike the rig. But...I assess that Hizbullah understands that any strike on the Karish gas rig will lead to no less than war, including between Israel and Hizbullah." Such a war would cause Israel substantial damage, but it would be "catastrophic for Lebanon," said Ganor. "It will also neutralize Hizbullah's military arsenal that was built by Iran as a strategic deterrent against Israel. This is a price Iran would be unwilling to pay."