Netanyahu reportedly warns Aoun to disarm Hezbollah or face escalation

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa has told President Joseph Aoun that Israel would escalate its attacks on Lebanon if Hezbollah doesn't disarm - and would accept nothing less, Nidaa al-Watan newspaper reported Thursday.

The daily claimed that Issa conveyed this message from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting last week with Aoun, which prompted Aoun to convene on Wednesday with security chiefs in Baabda to draw up a proactive plan to counter a potential escalation.

The meeting also discussed the reinforcement of the army and security forces' deployment across southern Lebanon, particularly in Nabatieh, following appeals from residents after a recent escalation killed 27 people in the region.

The army deployment aims to reassure the residents and restore their trust in state institutions, the daily said.

In an online petition posted this week, nearly 400 Lebanese public figures, including legal experts and human rights advocates, called for the army to be deployed in Nabatieh.

They also voiced concern over a possible "expansion of the Israeli occupation" toward the city, which is about 11 kilometers from the Israeli border.

"This city does not belong to any political group," added the signatories, referring to Hezbollah, which is well established in Nabatieh.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the Lebanese army said its units were "deployed in all areas that Israel does not occupy, particularly in the Nabatieh region".