A truce between Syrian government and rebel forces in the strategic and symbolic city of Homs has gone into effect , the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Wednesday . An operation to evacuate opposition fighters and their families has begun , the London-based group said . The ancient city became known as the capital of the uprising against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad . It has experienced some of the worst of the violence in a bloody civil war that has left more than 100,000 people dead and driven millions of people from their homes across the country . As many as 2,500 people are thought to be trapped in Homs , portions of which have been under siege since June 2012 . Efforts to get humanitarian aid to those inside the city have been plagued by difficulties amid the fighting . Syrian rebels have said that the truce in the city was brokered after they agreed to release 70 Lebanese Hezbollah fighters , 20 Iranian officers captured by the Islamic Front in Aleppo and an Iranian female agent who was captured at the end of March . Hezbollah and Iran have backed al-Assad 's government in the war . Truce follows talks . Under the deal , once the opposition fighters reach their final destination in Al-Dara Al-Kabira in the province of Homs , the first group of pro-regime prisoners will be released from the towns of Nubul and Zahra in rural Aleppo . Representatives of the rebel fighters and of Islamic battalions have negotiated in recent days with those of Syrian government forces , the pro-regime National Defense militias , the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah and the governor of Homs , according to the observatory . The talks were mediated by civil committees and the United Nations in the presence of representatives from the Iranian and Russian embassies . In a statement to the state-run Syrian news agency SANA , Homs Gov . Talal al-Barazi said that the process of settlement and reconciliation will begin simultaneously with the rebels ' departure so as to have the city cleared of arms . After the city is cleared , a Syrian army unit will begin a search to detect and dismantle explosive devices , mines and remove barricades , he said . Opposition defiant . Syria 's opposition has tried to spin the truce as a victory over al-Assad 's regime . But handing over control of the city could be a strategic setback . `` This deal proves that the Assad regime is a puppet manipulated by Iran , and that it is the sole importer of terrorists , and perhaps the exclusive agent of terrorism in the region , '' Noura Al Ameer , vice president of the opposition Syrian Coalition , said before the truce went into effect . Al-Barazi has said the removal of rebel fighters and weapons from Homs will help the government improve security and stability in Syria . But the coalition has expressed doubt that the truce will hold . `` We fear for the safety of those in Homs as the regime has always reneged on its promises , '' the group said . Terms of the deal . The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said that the Homs pact will call for : . 1 . The withdrawal of rebel and Islamist fighters from Homs neighborhoods under the supervision of regime forces and delegates from the United Nations ; . 2 . The opening by rebel forces of a safe passage for the provision of food and medical aid to the Shiite enclaves of Nubul and Zahraa in the Aleppo countryside , considered to be regime strongholds the rebels have blocked for months ; . 3 . The withdrawal of rebel forces from Homs via the Hama-Homs highway toward Al-Dara Al-Kabira in Homs province 's north countryside ; . 4 . The granting of amnesty to 50 fighters who defected from regime forces in Homs ' al-Waer neighborhood ; . 5 . The takeover by regime forces of the al-Waer neighborhood in Homs in addition to the entrance and exit into the neighborhoods of Jouret Shiah , Al-Qarabees , Hamidiyeh , Wadi Al-Sayeh and the Old City of Homs ; . 6 . Retreating rebel and Islamist fighters to keep their personal weapons for protection in the event of any breach of the pact . The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said later Wednesday that about 600 fighters had left the besieged part of Homs for an area in the northern part of the city , with more expected to follow . But efforts elsewhere in Syria to help those suffering were n't all proceeding as planned . The observatory said that an `` Islamic battalion '' had blocked an aid convoy aiming for al-Nubul and al-Zahra , two Shiite villages in Aleppo province . Jihadist group 'crucifies ' bodies to send message . Attacks kill nearly 60 in Homs , Damascus , Syrian media report . Opinion : Forget Ukraine , Syria is now the world 's biggest threat .
Group says `` Islamic battalion '' blocks aid into two villages . Evacuation of rebels from the Old City of Homs begins , an opposition group says . Under the truce , the rebels say they will release Hezbollah and Iranian captives . Homs became known as the capital of the uprising against the Syrian regime .