Lebanon cabinet welcomes army plan to disarm Hezbollah, no timeline given

Lebanon's cabinet on Friday welcomed a plan by the army that would disarm Hezbollah and said the military would begin executing it, without setting a timeframe for implementation and cautioning that the army had limited capabilities, Report informs via Reuters.  

A national divide over Hezbollah's disarmament has taken centre stage in Lebanon since last year's devastating war with Israel, which upended a power balance long dominated by the Iran-backed Shi'ite Muslim group.  

The US and Saudi Arabia, along with Hezbollah's primarily Christian and Sunni opponents in Lebanon, have ramped up calls for the group to give up arms.  

But Hezbollah has pushed back, saying it would be a serious misstep to even discuss disarmament while Israel continues its air strikes on Lebanon and occupies swathes of territory in the south. Four people were killed in Israeli strikes on Wednesday.  

On Friday, Lebanon's cabinet met for three hours, which included the plan's presentation by army commander Rodolphe Haykal.  

All five Shi'ite cabinet ministers left the session in protest once Haykal entered the room.  

Lebanese information minister Paul Morcos told reporters after the session that the government welcomed the plan but stopped short of saying the cabinet had formally passed it.  

He said the army would begin implementing the plan according to its "limited" logistical, material and personnel capabilities, which might require "additional time (and) additional effort."  

Haykal had briefed ministers on the "limitations" facing the army, chief of which were Israel's continued strikes on Lebanese territory, Morcos told reporters.  

He said that Israel had not yet shown any commitment to a US roadmap aimed at disarming Hezbollah in exchange for a halt to Israeli military operations in Lebanon, and which the cabinet approved last month.  

"Accordingly, Lebanon clarifies that any progress towards implementing the paper remains contingent upon the commitment of the other parties, primarily Israel," Morcos said.