JERUSALEM, Aug. 26 -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Israeli forces could begin withdrawing from territory they hold in southern Lebanon after the Lebanese Cabinet's "momentous decision" earlier this month to work towards the disarmament of the militant group Hezbollah by the end of 2025. Netanyahu said if Lebanon takes the necessary steps to disarm Hezbollah, then Israel will respond with reciprocal measures, including a phased reduction of the Israeli military presence in southern Lebanon. Since the Israel-Hezbollah war ended in November 2024 with a US-brokered ceasefire, Hezbollah officials have said the group will not discuss its disarmament until Israel withdraws from five hills it controls inside Lebanon and stops almost daily airstrikes. Those strikes have killed or wounded hundreds of people, most of them Hezbollah members. Lebanon's Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri told The Associated Press in response that Israel has an obligation to comply with the ceasefire agreement, "which has not yet happened". "Lebanon's position is clear. Israel must commit to the cessation of hostilities," Mitri said, referring to Israel's almost daily airstrikes since the ceasefire went into effect. He added that Israel should also withdraw from Lebanon and release Lebanese prisoners it is holding. Beirut is under US pressure to disarm the group that recently fought a 14-month war with Israel and was left gravely weakened, with many of its political and military leaders dead. Lebanon needs international support to rebuild after last year's war, which left large swathes of southern and eastern Lebanon in ruins and caused an estimated $11.1 billion in damages, according to the World Bank. International aid is likely to be contingent on Hezbollah disarming. Naim Kassem, Hezbollah's secretary-general, has vowed to fight efforts to disarm the group by force, sowing fears of civil conflict in the country....