Rebels, families flee Syrian capital

BEIRUT — Hundreds of rebels and their families began leaving a northeastern neighborhood of Damascus and heading toward rebel-held areas in northern Syria on Sunday, in another step that would eventually bring all parts of the capital under the control of President Bashar Assad’s forces, state media and opposition activists said.

The evacuations from Qaboun came a day after government forces and their allies captured most of the area from insurgents who had maintained a presence in the northeastern neighborhood for four years. The departures from Qaboun come days after hundreds of opposition fighters were evacuated from the nearby neighborhoods of Barzeh and Tishrin.

After government forces took control of Barzeh and Tishrin last week and with the expected capture of Qaboun in the coming hours or days, the capital Damascus will be fully clear of rebels for the first time since 2012. The eastern neighborhood of Jobar will be left in rebel hands but is considered an extension of the eastern suburbs of Damascus known as eastern Ghouta.