Israel's government approves maritime accord with Lebanon

(JTA) — Israel’s government has approved an historic maritime accord with Lebanon, as both countries are under pressure to get the agreement signed before October ends and their leaders may change.

The Israeli and U.S. governments pushed back against claims that the deal ceded too much to Lebanon.

The details of the deal are not yet in place, but Israeli prime minister Yair Lapid said Wednesday at a press conference, hours after his cabinet approved the deal, that Israel had declined two last-minute Lebanese demands.

Lebanon had wanted to remove from the agreement Israel’s freedom to secure a...