Alalam - Syria

An agreement was reached Saturday to allow "humanitarian cases" to leave two besieged government-held Shiite villages in northwestern Syria province of Idlib, a step that would allow the resumption of civilian and militant evacuations from eastern Aleppo which were suspended a day earlier.

The opposition's Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the evacuation of some 4,000 people, including wounded, from the villages of Foua and Kfarya was expected to start Saturday, AP quoted.

The Aleppo evacuation was suspended Friday after militants shooting at a crossing point into the enclave.

Thousands were evacuated before the process was suspended. The Syrian government said the village evacuations and the one in eastern Aleppo must be done simultaneously, but the rebels say there's no connection.

Almanar TV reported that the new deal includes the rebel-held towns of Madaya and Zabadani near the border with Lebanon.

Syrian State TV SANA report Saturday that the main condition for the Aleppo evacuation to resume is for residents of Foua and Kfarya to be allowed to leave.

The Aleppo cease-fire and evacuation from east Aleppo earlier this week marked the end of the rebels' most important stronghold in the 5-year-old syrian war.

In announcing the suspension, SANA said Friday that rebels were trying to smuggle out captives who had been seized in the enclave after ferocious battles.

Reports differed on how many people remain in the Aleppo enclave.

12