A new deal has been reached to resume the stalled evacuation of civilians and rebels from east Aleppo, a Syrian rebel official told the Al-Arabiya news channel on December 17.
Speaking from Aleppo, Al-Faruk Abu Bakr said the deal comprised an evacuation from the two Shi'ite villages besieged by insurgents, the evacuation of wounded people from two towns besieged by pro-government forces near the Lebanese border, and the full evacuation of rebel-held eastern Aleppo.
The Reuters news agency also quoted an unnamed Syrian government source as saying an agreement on the resumption of the evacuations has been reached.
Earlier on December 17, Syria’s state television said that the evacuation is still suspended until rebels allow residents of two besieged Shi’ite villages -- Fua and Kfarya -- to leave to government-controlled areas.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said the evacuation of some 4,000 people, including wounded, from the villages could start on December 17.
The Aleppo evacuation was suspended on December 16 -- just a day after it began -- amid conflicting allegations of cease-fire violations. Thousands were evacuated before it was halted.