Five Thousands Militants, Civilians Left Arsal to Idlib while Hundreds Stepping Back

 Journalists look at parked buses that will transfer Nusra Front militants in Jroud Arsal, Syria-Lebanon border, July 31, 2017. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho (REUTERS)
Journalists look at parked buses that will transfer Nusra Front militants in Jroud Arsal, Syria-Lebanon border, July 31, 2017. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho (REUTERS)
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Five Thousands Militants, Civilians Left Arsal to Idlib while Hundreds Stepping Back

 Journalists look at parked buses that will transfer Nusra Front militants in Jroud Arsal, Syria-Lebanon border, July 31, 2017. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho (REUTERS)
Journalists look at parked buses that will transfer Nusra Front militants in Jroud Arsal, Syria-Lebanon border, July 31, 2017. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho (REUTERS)

Thousands of Syrian civilians and Nusra Front militants and their families gathered on Wednesday in buses intended to transport them to the north of Syria, in implementation of the second phase of a deal between Nusra and the Lebanese Hezbollah, which aims to evacuate the area of Jroud Arsal of 1,160 armed men and 6,661 refugees.

However, hundreds of Syrian civilians decided at the last moment not to board buses, fearing the high prices and deteriorating security in Idlib.

The National News Agency (NNA) reported that a convoy of 113 busses carrying Nusra Front militants and their families has crossed Wadi Hamid towards the Syrian territories on Wednesday.

Twenty ambulances escorted the convoy, amidst measures by the army, General Security and the Red Cross.

Well-informed sources told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper that around five thousand militants and civilians have departed from Arsal on Wednesday, heading towards northern Syria through the region of Flita.

The sources added that many civilians, who had registered on the lists of those wishing to leave, “have stepped back at the last minute fearing the high cost of living, scarcity of jobs and security threats in the Syrian province.

Thus, all Nusra militants left the area with their families, while a number of civilians chose to stay in Arsal.

Hezbollah’s military media said on Wednesday that 7,277 people have departed to the north of Syria. Those were living in two separate areas, one of which was under the control of the Lebanese Army.

The head of Lebanon’s General Security, Major General Abbas Ibrahim, has supervised late Tuesday a swap deal, which saw the release of three Hezbollah prisoners in exchange for three Nusra militants detained by the Lebanese security forces.

The next phase would allow militants and civilians to leave for the town of Al-Rahiba in eastern Qalamoun, while the third phase of evacuation will include civilians wishing to return to their villages in western Qalamoun.

The NNA correspondent reported that Nusra militants have burnt the sites they used to occupy on the outskirts of Arsal.

In earlier remarks to Reuters, Ibrahim said 120 militants carrying personal weapons would be among the thousands of Syrians set to leave for Syria’s rebel-held Idlib province on Wednesday.

He added that Lebanese authorities had received the three Hezbollah fighters and had handed over three individuals detained in Lebanon requested by the Nusra Front just before 1 am Beirut time.



Riyadh Metro Begins Operation on Sunday to Ease Traffic in Saudi Capital

The media was given a tour of the new Riyadh Metro ahead of its official opening on Sunday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The media was given a tour of the new Riyadh Metro ahead of its official opening on Sunday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Riyadh Metro Begins Operation on Sunday to Ease Traffic in Saudi Capital

The media was given a tour of the new Riyadh Metro ahead of its official opening on Sunday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The media was given a tour of the new Riyadh Metro ahead of its official opening on Sunday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Riyadh Metro, the backbone of the capital’s public transport network, will begin operation on Sunday.

The Riyadh Metro project is the largest in the Middle East and boasts the world’s longest driverless metro line in the world.

The metro will help ease 30 percent of traffic in Riyadh, said the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) during a media tour of the project on Friday.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud had on Wednesday inaugurated the Riyadh Metro.

The network spans 176 kilometers across six lines and 85 stations, including four main ones. It will offer 10 million trips daily and has the capacity for over 3 million passengers. It has already been integrated into the existing bus network.

The Darb app was launched on Thursday to help improve the transport experience in Riyadh.

Maher Shira, Director General of the Smart City Department at the RCRC, told Asharq Al-Awsat during the media tour that the app brings together bus, ticket and metro networks all in one platform.

The app has four main features: the first introduces users to the metro network, including stations, schedules, routes and tickets. The second offers users the option to best plan their trip through suggesting the best routes through the various transportation modes available.

The third offers users the option to purchase tickets, including a pass that covers all modes of transportation in the network. The fourth feature is the customer service option.

Shira said the metro network can be expanded to take in Riyadh’s growing population.

The first phase of the network will open on Sunday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The metro project was launched as part of Riyadh’s efforts to bolster sustainable transport and ease traffic, reflecting the Kingdom’s commitment to developing smart transport infrastructure, he added.

Sunday will witness the launch of the blue, yellow and purple lines of the metro network. The blue line spans Olaya Street to Al-Bathaa. The yellow line spans the King Khalid International Airport road and the purple line covers the Abdul Rahman Ibn Awf Road and the Al-Sheikh Hasan Ibn Hussein Ibn Ali Road.

The red and green lines of the metro will be launched by December 15 and the orange line by January 5.

Tickets are available on the Darb app and prices range from 4 to 140 riyals. A two-hour trip costs 4 riyals, a three-day pass is priced at 20 riyals, a one-week pass costs 40 riyals and the 30-day pass costs 140 riyals.