Thousands of Syrian civilians, gunmen leave Lebanon

BEIRUT, Aug 2 (KUNA) -- A convoy boarding 7,777 Syrians including 1,116 gunmen of Al-Sham Liberation group (formerly known as Al-Nusra Front) headed from the Lebanese border region of Ersal on Wednesday toward the Syrian region of Idlib in northwestern Syria.
The official Lebanese National News Agency said the evacuees headed from areas under control of the Lebanese Army and locations controlled by the Syrian opposition armed groups in the rugged border regions in eastern Lebanon.
George Kettaneh, Secretary Genera of the Lebanese Red Cross, told KUNA that the evacuees were accompanied by 132 medics and relief personnel.
The Lebanese Red cross has employed 46 vehicles for the operation, which would involve release of a single member of Hezbollah, held by Al-Nusra.
Late on Tuesday, Hezbollah handed over three prisoners of the Syrian group while the latter set free three gunmen of the Lebanese organization.
The prisoners' exchange began on Sunday, when Hezbollah received five corpses of its fighters from Al-Nusra which received nine dead bodies in addition to a Syrian female prisoner that had been held by the Lebanese authorities on charges of raising money for Al-Nusra.
Hezbollah and Al-Nusra have recently engaged in bitter fighting in the rugged mountainuous regions near the Lebanese town, Ersal, ending with Hezbollah taking over Al-Nusra positions overlooking Lebanese territories.
At least 25 Hezbollah fighters and an undetermined figure of Al-Nusra gunmen were killed in the fighting. (end) ayb.rk