Members of Jabhat Fatah al Sham terror group, formerly known as al-Nusra Front were granted safe passage to Syria through the mountainous Aarsal region on the Lebanese-Syrian border as part of a pact to free Hezbollah prisoners.
"The expulsion of Nusra militants, their relatives and those willing to follow them is over. A total of 116 buses have departed," the source said, adding this number included vehicles with health aid workers.
A source in the Lebanese militant movement told Sputnik earlier that a total of 7,777 people – fighters and others – were to leave Lebanese territory under the arrangement.
The withdrawal followed Hezbollah’s recent gains in fighting against Syrian militants in Aarsal, a major arms and gunmen smuggling hub. Islamists have also been using Syrian refugee camps there as hideouts and recruitment grounds.
