Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he welcomes the Lebanese cabinet’s “momentous decision” earlier this month to work towards the disarmament of Hezbollah by the end of 2025.

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.

The Lebanese government and army are expected to finalize, by next week, an implementation plan for its decision to disarm Hezbollah. In a potentially game-changing development, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday laid out the possibility of an IDF phased withdrawal from Lebanon as well as rolling back air force strikes there,