The Israeli-born so-called ‘mediator’ in the Lebanese-Israeli talks on the demarcation of maritime border threatened to step down from his role if no agreement is reached in the coming months, Israeli media reported.

Walla news site quoted senior Israeli sources as saying that US’ Amos Hochstein, who visited the Zionist entity on Sunday, believed that the ‘window of opportunity’ to reach an agreement would close on the eve of the Lebanese elections scheduled for March 2022.

After visiting Lebanon 10 days ago, Hochstein met with Israeli Energy Minister Karin Elharrar, as well as several Zionist officials from the Ministries of Energy, Foreign Affairs and Defense.

An Israeli official, quoted by Walla, said that Hochstein “made it clear” that he would not renew the direct talks held, and broken off, earlier this year.

“If in a few months he sees that the parties are not getting closer to an agreement, he will drop the issue,” the source said.

Technically in a state of war, the two neighbors had begun indirect talks through the UN and the United States in October 2020, but the process has repeatedly failed.

Hochstein’s appointment by Washington as a mediator in the maritime talks sparked anger among Lebanese.

Born in the occupied territories in 1973, Hochstein served with the Israeli occupation army from 1992 to 1995, and participated in the 1993 Israeli aggression on Lebanon. He was appointed by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken as State Department’s Senior Advisor for Energy Security last September.

Source: Israeli media