Lebanese officials say a pro-Israeli militia group in southern Lebanon has been forced to withdraw its soldiers from outposts near a town that has been frequently attacked by Hezbollah guerrillas.

The officials said the move followed a rebellion in the ranks of the militia group, the South Lebanon Army, when its troops refused to take up the positions around the town of Jezzine without reinforcements.

A spokesman for the militia group said it was not a withdrawal but a redeployment for military reasons.