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.