Cabinet to discuss Monday army's 1st report on arms monopoly plan

Cabinet will convene at 3:00 pm Monday to discuss the army's first monthly report on its arms monopoly plan, TV networks said on Friday.

Cabinet had on August 5 tasked the army with developing a plan to restrict arms to the state by year end, an unprecedented move that theoretically paves the way for disarming Hezbollah.

The plan sparked opposition from Hezbollah, which warned that it would not agree to any timetable for disarmament while Israeli aggression against Lebanon continues.

The army submitted its plan to the government on September 5 and the government adopted it despite a walkout by Shiite ministers, asking the military to submit monthly reports on implementation.

According to media reports, the plan consists of four stages, with the first to be implemented in the area south of the Litani River near Israel’s border. The bearing and transfer of arms will also be prohibited across Lebanon during this stage, the reports said.

The second stage will afterwards be implemented in the area between the Litani River and the al-Awali River, the third in Beirut and its suburbs and the fourth in the Bekaa.

Lebanon has hinted that the serious implementation of the plan would not begin before Israel starts withdrawing from five strategic hills it is still occupying in south Lebanon.