UPDATE 2-Israel grants Energean permission to start production at offshore Karish gas field

(Adds comment by Israeli PM)

JERUSALEM, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Israel granted Energean permission to start production at the offshore Karish gas field on Tuesday, an Energy Ministry statement said.

Energean has said its floating production storage and offloading vessel is due to start production at Karish in the third quarter but has not given a precise date.

On Oct. 9, the London-listed energy group began pumping gas to its floating production facility as part of reverse flow testing procedures.

Israel and Lebanon on Thursday are expected to sign a U.S.-brokered maritime border deal reached this month, opening the way for offshore energy exploration.

In the weeks running up to the deal, the development of the Karish field, about 80 km (50 miles) west of the Israeli city of Haifa, had raised tensions between the two countries drawing threats of war from the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement.

"The production of natural gas from the Karish platform bolsters Israel's energy security, enhances our stature as energy exporters, strengthens Israel's economy, and helps in grappling with the global energy crisis," Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said in a statement. (Reporting by Maayan Lubell and Ari Rabinovitch Editing by Bernadette Baum)