Syrian state TV said 123 wounded fighters and their families will leave the predominantly Sunni Zabadani while the Observatory said 129 civilians and fighters will be brought to Beirut where they will be flown to Turkey.
Advertisement
Israel searches for gunman who killed 2 in Tel Aviv attack
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the scene of the attack Saturday evening. Spokeswoman Luba Samri said five people were wounded, two of whom died in hospital.
The insurgents were evacuated from the town of Zabadani in southwestern Syria after months under siege from government forces.
Dismissal of Geoff Cameron leaves Stoke boss Mark Hughes feeling frustrated
West Brom boss Tony Pulis insists Saido Berahino has improved his behaviour after he was warned about his attitude. He has not started a Premier League game since the end of October and has scored just three times all season.
The deal provided for a ceasefire to allow in humanitarian aid and then for the evacuation of wounded civilians and fighters. That deal saw the Syrian government allow fighters to withdraw with their weapons from the last besieged neighborhood in the city in exchange for a return to government control and supplies to beleaguered citizens.
ISI met LeT, JeM, Hizbul to intensify attack in J&K and Punjab
The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday condemned the audacious terror attack at Pathankot Air Force Station in Punjab. The entire state of Punjab is on high alert and security has been tightened across Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir.
The rebel contingent and their families will travel to Beirut via the Lebanese border crossing al-Masnaa in convoys of buses.
On the Lebanese side of the border, dozens of people, including refugees from Zabadani who have been living in Lebanon, gathered to welcome the evacuated fighters, carrying banners describing them as “heroes”.
Militants from Al-Fatah (Army of Conquest) from the Syrian opposition provided road security while the Shiite Syrians were transferred from Fuaa village to Turkey, he said, adding the group maintained security along every 200-300 meters of road.
Syrian fighters and families have begun to leave three besieged towns in the war-torn country under a UN-brokered deal.
In September, an agreement was concluded for a six-month truce in Zabadani, the last rebel stronghold on the Syrian-Lebanese border and in two localities north-west of the country, Foua and Kafraya in the province of Idleb.
“They were simultaneously evacuated by land and air through Turkey and Lebanon to the agreed final destinations where those requiring longer term medical care will receive it”, the statement said.
Under the agreement, rebel fighters in Zabadani near Lebanon have been granted safe passage to Beirut airport. Hezbollah fighters have been killed in battles around Zabadani.
At least 14 people were also killed yesterday and 90 wounded in two suicide bombings in the central city of Homs.
Advertisement
The governments of Turkey and Lebanon, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the İHH, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Syrian Red crescent cooperated for the deal, Şahin stated.
