BEIRUT—A first wave of more than 1,500 Syrian rebel fighters began leaving the Damascus suburbs, in what could mark a decisive moment in the Assad regime’s monthlong campaign to secure the capital.
The evacuation in Harasta on Thursday is the first of its kind since the rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta was besieged by Syrian regime forces in February, forcing thousands of civilians, including women and children, to flee a relentless ground assault.
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