Ceasefire Underway in Syrian Town, Villages
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - A 48-hour ceasefire is underway in the Syrian town of Zabadani and two villages in the northwestern province of Idlib after an agreement was struck between security forces and militant groups.
The truce started at 6 am local time (3.00GMT) in the town of Zabadani north of Damascus as well as two Shiite villages, Al Foua and Kafraya, according to a report by Al-Jazeera.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based group, reported that there were negotiations to evacuate militants from Zabadani, as well as to allow food aid into Kefraya and al-Fouaa, which have been besieged by militants.
The group claimed the ceasefire was agreed upon between the Lebanese-based group Hezbollah, which is supporting the Syrian government, and the Nusra Front-aligned group, Ahrar al-Sham.
A Hezbollah spokesperson told Al Jazeera that negotiations on a ceasefire had been taking place for the past 10 days and the UN's special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, was involved.
