Four Shiite members of Lebanon's Cabinet have withdrawn from a government meeting to protest a plan to disarm Hezbollah.

BEIRUT (Reuters) -The United States has presented Lebanon with a proposal for disarming Hezbollah by the end of the year, along with ending Israel's military operations in the country and the withdrawal of its troops from five positions in south Lebanon, according to a copy of a Lebanese cabinet agenda reviewed by Reuters.

The Lebanese Cabinet on Thursday approved the "objectives" outlined in a US proposal concerning the disarmament of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia. The move came during a tense session marked by the walkout of Shiite ministers who are close to Hezbollah and their allies in the Amal movement,