Israel&nbsp;voiced&nbsp;openness on Monday to&nbsp;US-mediated&nbsp;talks&nbsp;with&nbsp;Lebanon&nbsp;on resolving a dispute over the neighbours' maritime&nbsp;border&nbsp;that has dogged Mediterranean oil and gas exploration.

Such&nbsp;talks,&nbsp;Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz's office said in a statement after he met&nbsp;US&nbsp;envoy David Satterfield, could be "for the good of both countries' interests in developing natural gas reserves and oil" by agreeing on a&nbsp;border.

There was no immediate comment from Lebanese or&nbsp;US&nbsp;officials.

Technically at war since&nbsp;Israel's founding in 1948,&nbsp;Israel&nbsp;and&nbsp;Lebanon&nbsp;have long disagreed on&nbsp;border&nbsp;demarcations, a dispute affecting a&nbsp;sea&nbsp;area of about 860 sq km (330 square miles) extending along the edge of three of&nbsp;Lebanon's southern energy blocks.

Waters in one of those blocks are also claimed by&nbsp;Israel, which kicked off a gas bonanza in the eastern Mediterranean almost a decade ago with the discovery of two huge gas fields.

The dispute has led to years of brinkmanship with both sides promising to protect their resources and warning about encroachment.

Israel voiced openness on Monday to US-mediated talks with Lebanon on resolving a dispute over the neighbours' maritime border that has dogged Mediterranean oil and gas exploration.

Israel voiced openness on Monday to US-mediated talks with Lebanon on resolving a dispute over the neighbours' maritime border that has dogged Mediterranean oil and gas exploration. Such talks, Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz's office said in a statement after he met US envoy David Satterfield, could be "for the good of both countries' interests in developing natural gas reserves and oil" by agreeing on a border. There was no immediate comment from Lebanese or US officials. Technically at war since Israel's founding in 1948, Israel and Lebanon have long disagreed on border demarcations, a dispute affecting a sea area of about 860 sq km (330 square miles) extending along the edge of three of Lebanon's southern energy blocks. Waters in one of those blocks are also claimed by Israel, which kicked off a gas bonanza in the eastern Mediterranean almost a decade ago with the discovery of two huge gas fields. The dispute has led to years of brinkmanship with both sides promising to protect their resources and warning about encroachment.

Israel open to US-mediated talks with Lebanon on sea border

An Israeli cabinet minister warned on Sunday of possible direct or proxy Iranian attacks on <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/israel-will-not-allow-nuclear-armed-iran-benjamin-netanyahu-216991">Israel should the stand-off between Tehran and Washington</a> escalate.

The United States has increased economic and military pressure on Iran, with President Donald Trump on Thursday urging its leaders to talk to him about giving up their nuclear programme and saying he could not rule out an armed confrontation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, which supports Trump's hard tack against its arch-foe, has largely been reticent about the spiralling tensions.

Parting with the silence, Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said that, in the Gulf, "things are heating up".

"If there's some sort of conflagration between Iran and the United States, between Iran and its neighbours, I'm not ruling out that they will activate Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad from Gaza, or even that they will try to fire missiles from Iran at the State of Israel," Steinitz, a member of Netanyahu's security cabinet, told Israel's Ynet TV.

Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad are Iranian-sponsored guerrilla groups on Israel's borders, the former active in Syria as well as Lebanon and the latter in the Palestinian territories.

The Israeli military declined to comment when asked if it was making any preparations for possible threats linked to the Iran-US standoff.

Israel has traded blows with Iranian forces in Syria, as well as with Hezbollah in Lebanon and Palestinian militants. But it has not fought an open war with Iran, a country on the other side of the Middle East.

An Israeli cabinet minister warned on Sunday of possible direct or proxy Iranian attacks on Israel should the stand-off between Tehran and Washington escalate. The United States has increased economic and military pressure on Iran, with President Donald Trump on Thursday urging its leaders to talk to him about giving up their nuclear programme and saying he could not rule out an armed confrontation.

An Israeli cabinet minister warned on Sunday of possible direct or proxy Iranian attacks on Israel should the stand-off between Tehran and Washington escalate. The United States has increased economic and military pressure on Iran, with President Donald Trump on Thursday urging its leaders to talk to him about giving up their nuclear programme and saying he could not rule out an armed confrontation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, which supports Trump's hard tack against its arch-foe, has largely been reticent about the spiralling tensions. Parting with the silence, Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said that, in the Gulf, "things are heating up". "If there's some sort of conflagration between Iran and the United States, between Iran and its neighbours, I'm not ruling out that they will activate Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad from Gaza, or even that they will try to fire missiles from Iran at the State of Israel," Steinitz, a member of Netanyahu's security cabinet, told Israel's Ynet TV. Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad are Iranian-sponsored guerrilla groups on Israel's borders, the former active in Syria as well as Lebanon and the latter in the Palestinian territories. The Israeli military declined to comment when asked if it was making any preparations for possible threats linked to the Iran-US standoff. Israel has traded blows with Iranian forces in Syria, as well as with Hezbollah in Lebanon and Palestinian militants. But it has not fought an open war with Iran, a country on the other side of the Middle East.

Iran may attack Israel if US standoff escalates, says cabinet minister

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Israel open to US-mediated talks with Lebanon on sea border

Iran may attack Israel if US standoff escalates, says cabinet minister