Ceasefire in town, villages extended until Sunday

A ceasefire between the warring sides in a Syrian town and two villages has been extended until Sunday, sources on both sides said on Friday.

The ceasefire between rebels on one hand and the Syrian army and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah on the other began on Wednesday. It halted fighting in the town of Zabadani near the Lebanese border and the villages of Kefraya and al-Foua in the northwest.

Sources involved in the negotiations say they are focused on agreeing a withdrawal of rebel fighters from Zabadani and an evacuation of civilians from two Shi'ite villages in the northwest.