Rebels agree to hand over West Ghouta stronghold to the Syrian Army – report

Breaking preliminary reports suggest Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra) and aligned rebel factions in Khan al-Sheih have agreed to evacuate their forces to Idlib and in turn, hand over their last West Ghouta town to the Syrian Arab Army (SAA).

As part of the first term of the agreement, the SAA’s 4th Mechanized Division has withdrawn from the Qusur district in the eastern part of Khan al-Sheih town which it captured just hours earlier today.

Another ‘first term’ part of the agreement includes a 48-hour ceasefire. Effectively, firefights have entirely stopped as of Saturday evening. Soon, if both sides adhere to the agreement, the infamous Syrian green buses will enter the town and evacuate the jihadist fighters along with their families to the Idlib governorate.

In recent months, the SAA has secured a string of Damascus suburbs through reconciliation diplomacy, including Daraya, Al-Hamah, Qudsiyah, and Mo’adhimiyah.