Beirut: Lebanon's government on Tuesday tasked the army with developing a plan to restrict arms to the state by year-end, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said, an unprecedented move that paves the way for disarming Hezbollah. After a nearly six-hour cabinet session headed by President Joseph Aoun on disarming the Iran-backed militant group, Salam stated the government "tasked the Lebanese army with setting an implementation plan to restrict weapons" to the army and other state forces "before the end of this year".

According to France24.com, the plan is to be presented to the cabinet by the end of August for discussion and approval, as Salam informed during a press conference after the marathon session. Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem had remarked a short time earlier, as the cabinet was in session, that "any timetable presented for implementation under... Israeli aggression cannot be agreed to".

This decision represents a significant step by the Lebanese government in addressing the longstanding issue of Hezbollah's armed status, which has been a point of contention in the country's complex political landscape. The move underscores a strategic shift in Lebanon's approach to ensuring state monopoly over arms, a development that could reshape the balance of power within the nation.