Hezbollah and Syrian rebels agreed to a 48-hour cease-fire in the border town of Zabadani and two other towns in the northwestern province of Idlib, Lebanese security sources said.
The sources told The Daily Star the truce in Zabadani, Kafriya and Foua went into effect at 6 a.m. Wednesday.
Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV confirmed the two-day cease-fire and said the truce comes after Hezbollah fighters and Syrian troops reached the center of Zabadani.
The pause in the fighting was to allow negotiators to finalize a plan to allow besieged rebel fighters allied with Nusra Front to withdraw safely from Zabadani in return for easing the siege around the two Shiite towns of Kafriya and Foua, the sources said.
The cease-fire came after Hezbollah and the Syrian army made major advances after six weeks of fighting. They were expected to gain full control over Zabadani “in the coming hours,” a security source told The Daily Star Tuesday night.
Insurgent group Ahrar al-Sham and allied rebels were facing stiff resistance and negotiations had been ongoing to ensure the withdrawal of the remaining rebel forces from the former resort city, the source added.
