The United States has handed Lebanon a formal response to its counter-paper on Washington’s proposed roadmap for the country's future, demanding a clear timeline for Hezbollah’s disarmament and warning that failure to comply could plunge the country into a new civil war, according to officials cited by Al-Modon.

The American response, delivered through the U.S. embassy in Beirut, calls on the Lebanese government to oversee the withdrawal of Hezbollah’s weapons, particularly its heavy arsenal, by the end of this year. The document also presses Lebanon to engage directly with the group and assume full responsibility for the implementation of the disarmament process.

The U.S. reply outlines a “step-by-step” approach to disarmament, divided into several geographic and operational phases. According to Lebanese officials briefed on the content, the proposed schedule is as follows:

• Phase One: Withdrawal of weapons north and south of the Litani River.

• Phase Two: Disarmament of Hezbollah in Beirut and its suburbs.

• Phase Three: Removal of weapons from the Bekaa region.

The focus in the initial stages is on heavy weaponry, including rockets and drones. Later stages would address the dismantling of medium-caliber arms.

The U.S. response also includes provisions targeting the military infrastructure of Palestinian factions, starting with the dismantling of armed networks in the Rashidieh and Burj al-Shamali refugee camps in southern Lebanon.

Washington’s position emphasizes that implementation of these measures by Lebanon would prompt U.S. diplomatic pressure on Israel to withdraw from disputed areas it continues to occupy along the Lebanese border. However, the American reply offers no explicit guarantees or timelines for Israeli compliance.

In a nutshell, the U.S. is demanding a detailed and time-bound implementation plan from the Lebanese side within weeks and insists that the Lebanese Armed Forces take control of southern Lebanon as part of the transition.

“The U.S. is asking for a final plan to collect Hezbollah’s weapons within weeks. It’s not a suggestion, it’s a demand,” said a Lebanese official, speaking on condition of anonymity.