Fresh rebel evacuation begins in Syria

Damascus: As many as 60 buses arrived on the outskirts of Damascus on Monday to transport Syrian rebels and their families to the province of Idlib, officials said.

This is the latest evacuation from the Barzeh neighbourhood in a string of rebel departures from the vicinity of the capital toward rebel-held areas in northern Syria, Xinhua news agency reported.

Barzeh witnessed a "reconciliation" deal with the government in 2014, and it remained largely calm.

But as the de-escalation zones' deal went into effect last week, with Idlib being included as a safe zone, more rebels are opting to leave to that rebel-held area.

The evacuation from Barzeh will be carried out in batches and will be completed on Thursday.