Lebanon's cabinet met on Thursday for the second time in days to discuss disarming Hezbollah, after the Iran-backed group rejected the government's decision to take away its weapons.

The meeting considered a US proposal that includes a timetable for Hezbollah's disarmament, with Washington pressing Beirut to take action.

Information Minister Paul Morcos said the cabinet endorsed the introduction of the US text without discussing specific timelines. The government said on Tuesday that disarmament should happen by the end of this year.

The introduction endorsed in Thursday's meeting lists 11 "objectives" including "ensuring the sustainability" of a November ceasefire with Israel, and "the gradual end of the armed presence of all non-governmental entities, including Hezbollah, in all Lebanese territory".

It also calls for the the deployment of Lebanese troops in border areas and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the five places in the south they have occupied since last year's war with Hezbollah.

The November ceasefire that sought to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah stipulated that weapons in Lebanon be restricted to six military........

© Al Monitor