Lebanon and Israel are moving closer to reaching a maritime border agreement, a US special envoy and Lebanese officials said, AP reported.

Lebanon and Israel have been officially at war since Israel's creation in 1948, and both countries claim about 860 square kilometers of the Mediterranean Sea.

Amos Hochstein, senior energy security adviser at the US State Department, who mediated between the two neighbors, expressed optimism after his meetings in Beirut with the Lebanese president, interim prime minister and speaker of parliament.

Hochstein's joint meeting with the top leadership may indicate that a breakthrough is close and that the Lebanese political leadership supports such a deal.

The atmosphere is positive and the gap in this area is narrowing, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Elias Bou Saab told reporters after the meeting.

Hochstein arrived in Beirut on Sunday to brief Lebanon on Israel's response to Beirut's June proposal over a disputed maritime border.