Meanwhile, a video has been released of residents of the besieged village of Al-Fu’ah in Idlib Governorate, awaiting evacuation following a deal struck up by Iran and Qatar, Al-Masdar reported.
The Shi'ite populations of two towns are to be evacuated in exchange for the evacuation of ISIS terrorists and their families from two opposition-held towns in a mediated deal between the warring sides, a pro-government source and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The two Shi'ite towns of al-Foua and Kefraya in the northwestern province of Idlib are besieged by terrorists, while the opposition-held towns of Zabadani and Madaya near the Lebanese border are besieged by government forces, Reuters reported.
The pro-government source said implementation was due to begin on April 4, with 16,000 people leaving al-Foua and Kefraya "in exchange for the evacuation of all the Zabadani militants and the militants of Madaya and their families".
Sources on the rebel side could not immediately be reached for comment.
As part of the agreement, a ceasefire began on Tuesday at noon (0900 GMT), the pro-government source said. The Obsevatory said the areas covered by the agreement were calm on Wednesday.
The Observatory said the evacuation of al-Foua and Kefraya was scheduled to last 60 days. The people evacuated from the terrorist-held towns would go to northern Syria, it added.
The agreement would also include a ceasefire covering areas south of Damascus, aid deliveries, and the release of 1,500 prisoners held by the government in connection to the uprising against Syrian government, the Observatory said.
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