An exploration group drilling off Israel's Mediterranean shore said on Tuesday they found significant signs of a new natural gas deposit near to where huge reserves have been discovered in recent years.

Delek Drilling said the signs of natural gas were found at the Tamar Southwest field, where earlier estimates said there could be 20 billion cubic meters of gas.

The site is near the Tamar field, discovered by Texas-based Noble Energy in 2009 to hold an estimated 10 trillion cubic feet of gas.

Other partners in the latest drilling finds are Isramco Negev 2, Avner Oil Exploration and Dor Gas Exploration.