Lebanon's caretaker prime minister on Monday approved a draft decree expanding the country's claims in a dispute with Israel over their maritime border that has held up hydrocarbon exploration in the potentially gas-rich area.
Hassan Diab signed off on the document after both the minister of public works and the minister of defense earlier agreed to it.
The amendment would add around 1,400 square km (540 square miles) to the exclusive economic zone claimed by Lebanon in its original submission to the United Nations.
The draft decree relating to the amendment of the initial decree 6433 of 2011 has now been referred to the presidency for approval ahead of a request to the United Nations for a formal claim to register the new coordinates for the maritime zone.
Negotiations between old foes Lebanon and Israel were launched in October to try to resolve the dispute, yet the talks, a culmination of three years of diplomacy by the United States, have since stalled.