Cabinet to meet Tuesday on arms as Israel reportedly rejects Lebanese response

Cabinet will hold a session next Tuesday to discuss the state's monopoly on arms, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam's office said.

The ministers will also discuss the November ceasefire and Israel's violations, Salam's office said.

Local al-Jadeed TV channel said that the session will be held after efforts led by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and ministers of the Lebanese Forces and the Progressive Socialist Party and that the session will only discuss the state's monopoly on arms based on the ministerial statement but no executive decisions will be taken.

The TV network said it had learned from a prominent diplomatic source that Salam has contacted the U.S. to prevent a negative riposte to the Lebanese response to U.S. envoy Tom Barrack's paper.

The source revealed to al-Jadeed that Salam had received unofficial signals from the U.S., explicitly stated in Barrack's tweets, indicating that the recent Lebanese response was not commensurate with the American demands.

According to al-Jadeed, the American stance came after a meeting between Barrack and Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer last Thursday in Paris. Barrack received a negative Israeli response that was transmitted to Lebanon through indirect channels.

Arab diplomatic sources meanwhile told al-Jadeed that there will be no future investments in Lebanon unless it commits to implementing international demands.