Lebanon’s cabinet has endorsed the objectives of a U.S. proposal that would strip Hezbollah of its weapons by 31 December 2025 and secure Israel’s withdrawal from five military positions in the country’s south, according to cabinet documents reviewed by Reuters. The plan, presented in Beirut on 7 August by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, also seeks an immediate halt to Israeli air, sea and ground operations once the timetable is adopted. Under the four-phase blueprint, the Lebanese Armed Forces must submit a detailed deployment and disarmament schedule within 60 days, enabling phased Israeli pullbacks and the release of Lebanese prisoners held by Israel. Heavy weapons—including missiles and drones—are to be dismantled within 120 days of the start of the final phase. The proposal culminates in an international economic conference designed to channel reconstruction aid to Lebanon’s war-damaged south. President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the decision signals a shift toward exclusive state control of arms, but the move has deepened political rifts. Ministers from Hezbollah and its ally Amal exited the cabinet session in protest, and the Shiite movement has dismissed the disarmament deadline as “non-existent,” arguing that any deal must first address continuing Israeli strikes. Washington has welcomed the step, while diplomats say Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Gulf donors have linked future loans and investments to verifiable progress on disarming non-state militias. Analysts warn that Hezbollah’s response will determine whether the plan steadies Lebanon’s fragile cease-fire with Israel or ushers in renewed internal unrest.