Around 10,000 Hezbollah fighters have become completely unfit for combat since the eruption of the Gaza war, sources told Al-Arabiya’s Al-Hadath channel.

Ahead of a visit next week by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, Lebanon is preparing a response to a U.S. paper concerning Hezbollah disarmament and Israel's withdrawal and halt of hostilities.

Pro-Hezbollah al-Akhbar newspaper said Thursday that Hezbollah will not hand over its arms after several media reports claimed that the group is open to discuss its disarmament but wants guarantees that Israel will withdraw.

During his latest visit to Beirut, U.S. envoy Tom Barrack expressed Washington’s concern that “Lebanon might again drown in the same previous policies” in the conduct of both its government and parliament, al-Akhbar newspaper quoted an informed source as saying.

Hezbollah will on Thursday inform Speaker Nabih Berri of its final response to the Lebanese amendments related to U.S. envoy Tom Barrack’s paper, Al-Jadeed TV reported.

“The joint presidential committee will convene again today after receiving the official answer, in order to discuss it and finalize the official Lebanese response,” Al-Jadeed added.

Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem has said that Hezbollah's disarmament is a domestic issue and that Israel "has no business interfering in domestic affairs."

"We will not accept to hand over our land and our arms to the Israeli enemy," Qassem said Wednesday, adding that Hezbollah has the right to resist Israel and will not give up on this right or be affected by pressures.

Israel's overture this week to Syria and Lebanon for a peace deal has sparked mixed reactions in both countries, where the idea of normalizing ties has long been considered taboo.

On Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said his country had an "interest in adding countries, Syria and Lebanon, our neighbors, to the circle of peace and normalization while safeguarding Israel's essential and security interests".

Hezbollah is waiting to receive a copy of the Lebanese paper that is being prepared by President Joseph Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and PM Nawaf Salam in response to the paper submitted by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, informed political sources said.

A high-ranking political source, familiar with ongoing talks, has confirmed to al-Joumhouria newspaper that U.S. envoy Tom Barrack's six-page paper presented to Lebanon focuses on Hezbollah's disarmament, as well as that of other factions, and Lebanon's relationship with Syria, including border demarcation.

Security on Lebanon’s eastern border with Syria is “under control” and “sponsored by Saudi Arabia” and the reports about a build-up of foreign fighters on the frontier are “baseless,” senior diplomatic sources told the al-Anbaa news portal of the Progressive Socialist Party.

Lebanese officials are racing against time to reach “acceptable formats” for a Lebanese paper responding to a U.S. proposal calling for an end to Israel’s attacks and the withdrawal of its forces in return for Hezbollah’s disarmament, a media report said.