Israel gave its preliminary nod on Sunday to a draft U.S.-brokered deal demarcating a maritime border with Lebanon that may lead to profit-sharing in a disputed Mediterranean gas prospect.
Hoping to defuse one source of conflict between the hostile countries and prod them toward accommodation, U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein last week submitted a new proposal that would pave the way for offshore energy exploration.
After years of stop-start shuttle diplomacy, agreement seems closer than ever. As Beirut mulls the 10-page draft - details of which have been kept under wraps - the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement called it "a very important step" on Saturday while Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a powerful Hezbollah ally, deemed it "positive".
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