Report: Hoschtein to visit Paris, Israel, before arriving in Lebanon later next week

U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein has notified adviser and deputy parliament speaker Elias Bou Saab that he will visit Beirut later this coming week, Lebanese President Michel Aoun’s office said.

Lebanese media have speculated that both countries could soon reach an agreement in a maritime border dispute between the two countries, while Bou Saab said that most of the recent media reports are based on "speculation" and "are not accurate."

Al-Akhbar newspaper reported Monday that Hochstein will head to Paris, then Israel, before visiting Lebanon with an official Israeli response to the Lebanese demands. It added that the visit will not be the last one and that more time will be needed before the deal is reached, although reaching an agreement soon is among Washington's top priorities.

The daily said that France and Qatar will play a role in the demarcation negotiations, and that Qatar will replace Russia's Novatek after the latter had ended its partnership with France's Total Energies.

Lebanese protesters had on Sunday sailed down the country’s coast in dozens of fishing boats and yachts toward the southern marine border town of Naqoura, carrying Lebanese flags and banners, with slogans in Arabic, French, and Hebrew expressing what they say is Lebanon’s right to its maritime oil and gas fields.