Lebanon will draft a plan by August 31 to convince the "Hezbollah" group to disarm, said US special envoy for Syria and Lebanon Thomas Barak today, quoted by Reuters, BTA reported.
After receiving Lebanon's plan, Israel will make a counter-offer, Barak added after meeting with the Lebanese president in Beirut. Barak said the plan Lebanon is developing will not necessarily include military action to force "Hezbollah" to lay down its arms.
"The Lebanese army and government are not talking about starting a war. They are talking about how to convince "Hezbollah" to give up its weapons," he said.
Last week, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem warned the Lebanese government against engaging in confrontation with the Iranian-backed movement, saying that if it did, "there would be no life" in Lebanon.
Hezbollah has been significantly weakened by last year's war with Israel, which killed many of the group's leaders and fighters. The U.S.-brokered peace deal that ended the war requires the Lebanese state to disarm the group.
Qassem said Hezbollah and its allied Amal movement have postponed previously planned street protests against the US-backed disarmament initiative, allowing for dialogue with the government, but that future protests will target the US embassy in Beirut.
Israel has signaled that it will reduce its military presence in southern Lebanon if the Lebanese Armed Forces disarm "Hezbollah", the Israeli prime minister's office said in a statement.