Hezbollah has begun withdrawing some of their troops fighting for President Assad in Syria amid mounting pressure from the Government in Beirut and concerns that their actions were alienating the Arab world, The Times newspaper said on Friday.

Diplomatic and intelligence sources in Beirut said that there had been a reduction in the number of Hezbollah fighters in Syria recently.

However, sources close to Hezbollah denied that it had acted because of political pressure, claiming it was due to tactical considerations on the ground.