By Maya Gebeily and Laila Bassam
BEIRUT (Reuters) -Lebanon's government is set to discuss a plan on Friday for disarming Hezbollah, a critical juncture in a standoff between the Iran-backed group which is refusing to give up its weapons and rivals who want it to disarm in line with U.S. demands.
Calls for Hezbollah's disarmament have taken centre stage in Lebanon since last year's devastating war with Israel, which upended a power balance long dominated by the Shi'ite Muslim group.
Despite mounting
pressure, Hezbollah has rejected any move to dismantle its arsenal, leaving a deep divide between the group and its Shi'ite ally Amal on the one hand, and other Lebanese, among them leading Christian and Sunni politicians.
Friday's cabinet session takes place against a backdrop of an escalation in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, which killed four people on Wednesday, adding to fears in Lebanon of further attacks if Hezbollah does not disarm. The Israeli military said it targeted a site where Hezbollah stored engineering tools being used for "the organization's recovery".
Longstanding tensions in Lebanon over Hezbollah's arms have sharpened since the administration led by President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam tasked the U.S.-backed army on August 5 with devising a plan to establish a state monopoly on arms by the end of the year.
It is not yet clear how Friday's session will pan out. With the army keen to avoid confrontation with Hezbollah, the plan could avoid any disarmament timeline, a diplomat and a Lebanese source said.
Any cabinet decision opposed by Hezbollah is likely to prompt a walk-out by Shi'ite ministers loyal to the group and Amal, stripping the government of sectarian consensus. One possibility could be to delay a vote on the plan.
The army, drawn from Lebanon's mosaic of religious groups, split along sectarian lines at the start of the 1975-90 civil war, and has been widely regarded as the guarantor of civil peace since being rebuilt after that conflict.
Israel last week signalled it would scale back its military presence in southern Lebanon if the army took action to disarm Hezbollah.
But Hezbollah has ruled out disarming, saying its weapons protect Lebanon from Israeli attack. Senior Iranian official Ali Akbar Velayati last month criticised Beirut's moves on disarmament.
Hezbollah politician Mohammed Raad said on Wednesday it was "imperative" for Lebanese authorities to refrain from agreeing on any plans regarding Hezbollah's arms.
A U.S. proposal discussed by Beirut last month foresaw Hezbollah's disarmament by the end of the year, along with Israel's withdrawal and an end to its military operations in Lebanon. It also held out the prospect of economic support.
A source close to Hezbollah said Lebanon faced mounting U.S. and Saudi pressure to implement the proposal, but that the group continued to communicate, including to the army, that it would neither hand in its arms nor allow anyone to take them.
'BALL OF FIRE'
Amal leader and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri had been insisting that any discussion happen without a deadline, the source said.
Berri, in an August 31 speech, indicated that the Shi'ite parties were ready to discuss the fate of Hezbollah's arms, but "within the framework of a calm and consensual dialogue".
He said it was "nationally unacceptable to throw the ball of fire into the lap of the Lebanese army" by requiring it to tackle the long taboo issue of Hezbollah arms too abruptly.
A U.S.-backed ceasefire agreed in November 2024 required Hezbollah's disarmament, beginning in areas south of the Litani River, the area adjacent to Israel.
Hezbollah says the deal only applies to that region and that it has handed over weapons to Lebanese troops in that area. Israeli forces continue to occupy five hilltops in the south and to carry out airstrikes on Hezbollah fighters and arms depots.
(Additional reporting by Timour AzhariWriting by Tom PerryEditing by Peter Graff)
