Lebanon to discuss army's plan to disarm Hezbollah

The Lebanese government is set to discuss on Friday an army plan to disarm Hezbollah, which the Iran-backed group opposes, accusing the cabinet of playing into the hands of Israel and the United States.

- 

In August, under heavy US pressure and fearing Israel would intensify its strikes, Lebanon's government ordered the army to draw up a plan for disarming Hezbollah by the end of the year.

Hezbollah reiterated its opposition to the move on Wednesday, with its parliamentary bloc calling on Lebanese authorities to "reverse their... unpatriotic decision".

The government says disarming Hezbollah is part of implementing the US-brokered ceasefire agreement from November that ended over a year of hostilities between the group and Israel.

Friday's cabinet session comes amid intensified Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon over the past two days, which killed at least five people, according to the health ministry and the state-run National News Agency.