BEIRUT (Reuters) - The evacuation of thousands of people from two pro-Syrian government villages in the northwest got under way overnight, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and a commander in the regional alliance that backs Damascus said.

The villages of al-Foua and Kefraya in Idlib province have been besieged for years by rebel fighters. They are being evacuated as part of a mediated deal between insurgents and the government that includes a release of prisoners held by the government, sources on both sides have said.