Lebanon 's cabinet on Thursday instructed security forces to restrict weapons in Beirut exclusively to state institutions, a day after Israeli strikes across the country including in the heart of the capital.
"The army and security forces are requested to immediately begin reinforcing the full imposition of state authority over Beirut Governorate and to monopolise weapons in the hands of legitimate authorities alone," Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said at the end of a cabinet meeting.
Information Minister Paul Morcos said the decision prompted objections from Hezbollah's two ministers in the cabinet.
In the wake of Wednesday's strikes across Lebanon, Salam said the government will submit "an urgent complaint" to the UN Security Council, and he denounced the "dangerous escalation in defiance of all regional and international efforts to stop the war in the region".
Morcos said the government is engaged in diplomatic outreach to secure a ceasefire in Lebanon, after the US and Israel said they did not consider their truce with Iran to include the country.
The Lebanese government banned Hezbollah's military activities at the beginning of March, shortly after the start of war with Israel, but the decision has not stopped the group from conducting military operations.
The latest development comes as calls were mounting on Thursday for the ceasefire between the US and Iran to be extended to Israel's war with Hezbollah , after a massive wave of Israeli strikes on Lebanon killed more than 200 people. US President Donald Trump has claimed victory in the Middle East war after agreeing a two-week truce to allow talks to end a conflict that has killed thousands and plunged the global economy into turmoil.
But the future of the negotiations was in limbo on Thursday after Iran denounced Israel's ongoing raids on Lebanon, and Tehran's ambassador to Pakistan deleted a social media post saying an Iranian delegation would arrive in Islamabad, which was set to host the talks.
At least 203 people were killed and 1,000 wounded in Israeli strikes on Wednesday, the Lebanese health ministry said.
There had been conflicting diplomatic signals about whether the fighting in Lebanon was included in the US-Iran truce -- but Washington said that it was not and Israel made it clear that it has no intention of holding off.
"We are continuing to strike Hezbollah with force, precision, and determination," Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, in a social media post.
"Our message is clear: anyone who acts against Israeli civilians, we will strike them. We will continue to hit Hezbollah wherever necessary."