Evacuated Islamic State fighters reach Syria's Deir ez-Zor, pro-Damascus commander says

BEIRUT – Buses carrying evacuated Islamic State fighters reached Syria's Deir ez-Zor on Wednesday in return for releasing a Hezbollah prisoner, a commander in the pro-Damascus alliance said.

Damascus and Hezbollah allowed nearly 300 lightly armed militants and 300 relatives to leave the Syria-Lebanon border in a surrender deal, after an offensive there last month.

The transfer marked the first time Islamic State publicly agreed to such an evacuation from territory it held.