Israel natgas find "historic moment" -minister

TEL AVIV Jan 18 (Reuters) - A large natural gas find off Israel's Mediterranean coast announced by Noble Energy (NBL.N) could greatly reduce the country's dependence on imports, the National Infrastructure Ministry said on Sunday.

"We are witnessing an historic moment in Israel's energy market," National Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer said in a statement.

Petroleum Commissioner Yaakov Mimran said while it was too early to talk about quantities, if early findings are validated the site off of the Haifa coast in Northern Israel would meet Israel's demand for about 15 years.

(Reporting by Tova Cohen and Steven Scheer; Editing by Richard Hubbard)