Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday hinted at a gradual withdrawal of the remaining Israeli troops from southern Lebanon if the country's military takes steps to disarm the Hezbollah militia.

Israel on Monday signalled it would scale back its military presence in southern Lebanon if the Lebanese armed forces took action to disarm Shi'ite militant group Hezbollah, while the Iran-backed group reiterated its refusal to lay down its weapons.

Israel said it’s willing to start withdrawing its troops from Lebanon if the government there follows through with a plan to disarm Iran-backed Hezbollah by year’s end.