Fresh rebel evacuation begins in Syria

As many as 60 buses arrived at outskirts of the Barzeh neighborhood in northern Damascus on Monday, to transport rebels and their families toward the rebel-held province of Idlib, the state TV said.

The rebels' evacuation from Barzeh is the latest in a string of rebel departures from the vicinity of the capital toward rebel-held areas in northern Syria.

While the number of the would-be evacuees is estimated at tens, the state TV said 50 of the evacuees are originally from Idlib and will be returned to that province as well.

Barzeh witnessed a "reconciliation" deal with the government in 2014, and the neighborhood remained largely calm, with some breaches to the deal happening every now and then.

But as the de-escalation zones' deal went into effect last Saturday, 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 by batches and will be complete on Thursday.