DAMASCUS, May 8 (Xinhua) -- 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.
