The evacuation of thousands of civilians and rebels from the last opposition-held pocket in Aleppo began Thursday, forcing residents who pleaded to escape the violence to accept they might never return home as the devastated city comes back under full regime control.

For many, it wasn’t easy to say goodbye. “Everyone is now standing in front of their homes, crying over their homes, taking photos, saying farewell to their homes and their land,” said Mohammad al-Sheikh, an Aleppo resident and member of a local rebel faction....