BEIRUT, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- A convoy of buses carrying about 7,800 al-Nusra Front militants began its journey into Syria Wednesday as part of an exchange deal between Hezbollah and the fundamentalist organization, the National News Agency (NNA) reported.
The convoy set out from the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal, NNA said, adding that al-Nusra's leader in the Syrian Qalamoun mountain region was also among the evacuees.
The second round of the exchange was supposed to happen on Monday along with the evacuation of al-Nusra's militants and their families, but ran into some hurdles and postponed to Wednesday, local media said.
The media said al-Nusra "insisted on taking the three (Hezbollah) captives to areas inside Syria to release them there."
But Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, the head of the Lebanese Security General, categorically rejected the demand.
The exchange and evacuation deal came in the wake of a military offensive by Hezbollah fighters and Syrian troops, during which they captured border areas between the two countries and left hundreds of Nusra fighters besieged in a small rugged mountain area.
The fighting ended with a ceasefire on Thursday.
