Lebanon has launched its third offshore licensing round as border tensions mount with Israel over the killing of a top Hamas official in Beirut this week.

The deadline to submit bids for the six blocks on offer is 2 July 2024, although interest in the acreage could well be stymied amid heightened concerns about how Hezbollah, one of Lebanon’s dominant political parties, will react to the “assassination” of Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri.