If Lebanon had a serious and non-corrupt leadership it could have been years producing natural gas instead of wasting years on maritime border disputes. It is the preoccupation with this and the tension created around the issue as well as the political crisis that has prevented Lebanon for years from verifying its gas potential since global companies are keeping their feet away from it.
The best evidence of this is what is happening with Lebanon's neighbor - Cyprus.
Today the two partners, the Italian Eni and the French "Total" announced the discovery of a gas deposit containing 2.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in one of the wells in Cyprus.
This is the fourth gas discovery in Cyprus, one of which is in Israeli partnership. Both companies believe that eventually the commercial quantities of the discovery at a depth of over 2000 meters in the sea depth will be greater.