MP Ali al-Meqdad of Hezbollah’s Loyalty to Resistance bloc said “Lebanon should be protected by all its components and segments and by its resistance and army, which they want to put today in the face of the resistance.”

The Shiite Duo’s rejection of the government’s decisions on arms monopolization “will remain limited to political action and state institutions,” the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper quoted unnamed sources as saying.

Hezbollah was not in favor of participation in Thursday’s cabinet session that approved the “objectives” of the U.S. paper, but Speaker Nabih Berri insisted that Hezbollah and the Amal Movement take part in the meeting, pro-Hezbollah newspaper al-Akhbar reported on Friday.

MP Amin Sherri of Hezbollah’s Loyalty to Resistance bloc said his party “will deal with what the government does according to the step by step principle,” adding that Hezbollah “objected to the U.S. paper because it reflects Israel’s goals.”

U.S. envoy Tom Barrack's visit to Lebanon has been postponed to Aug. 18-19, local Al-Jadeed TV network said Friday.

The channel said that Lebanese authorities have been informed of the postponement of Barrack's visit to Lebanon by 10 days and that it will now take place on Aug. 18-19.

The Lebanese government on Thursday endorsed the “objectives” of the U.S. paper presented by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, despite a walkout by the ministers of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement.

An Israeli airstrike on eastern Lebanon killed six people, including a senior member of a Palestinian group and his bodyguard as they were on their way to Syria, news reports and his group said Friday.

The Thursday afternoon airstrike near the Lebanese border crossing of Masnaa killed Mohammed Wishah, a member of the central committee of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the group said in a statement.

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jassem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi, welcomed Friday a decision by the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah, describing it as an important step towards sovereignty and stability.

Budaiwi said the decision will significantly contribute to enhancing the trust of the international community and multilateral partners, paving the way for a more attractive environment for investment, including in the private sector.

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil has criticized the government’s approval of the objectives of U.S. envoy Tom Barrack’s paper, saying Cabinet should have approved a “Lebanese” paper instead.

Hundreds of Hezbollah supporters took to the streets of Beirut's southern suburbs to protest a government decision to disarm the group.

Lebanese media shared footage of similar rallies late Thursday, in other areas of the country where Hezbollah holds sway, while troops deployed to maintain order.