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| Aleppo battle: Evacuation agreement 'back on' | Aleppo battle: Evacuation agreement 'back on' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A deal to evacuate the last rebel-held part of eastern Aleppo is back on, opposition fighters say, a day after a previous agreement fell through. | A deal to evacuate the last rebel-held part of eastern Aleppo is back on, opposition fighters say, a day after a previous agreement fell through. |
| Rebel fighters and civilians had been due to leave early on Wednesday, but the ceasefire collapsed. | Rebel fighters and civilians had been due to leave early on Wednesday, but the ceasefire collapsed. |
| Rebel groups said late on Wednesday that evacuations would take place in the coming hours. | Rebel groups said late on Wednesday that evacuations would take place in the coming hours. |
| But there has been no confirmation so far from the Syrian government or its major ally Russia. | But there has been no confirmation so far from the Syrian government or its major ally Russia. |
| The ceasefire is due to come into effect late on Wednesday, with evacuations to follow early on Thursday. | The ceasefire is due to come into effect late on Wednesday, with evacuations to follow early on Thursday. |
| The BBC's chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet, in Beirut, said the new deal would also allow the simultaneous evacuation of two villages being besieged by rebels in north-west Syria. | |
| Syria's government and its ally Iran had insisted the evacuation from east Aleppo could happen only when those villages were evacuated, our correspondent said. | |
| Hours after the first agreement collapsed on Wednesday morning, air strikes resumed over rebel-held territory, where at least 50,000 civilians remain. | |
| The UN said raids by the Syrian government and its allies on an area "packed with civilians" most likely violated international law. | The UN said raids by the Syrian government and its allies on an area "packed with civilians" most likely violated international law. |
| In a statement, Zeid Raad al-Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said: "The way this deal was dangled in front of this battered and beleaguered population - causing them to hope they might indeed live to see another day - and then snatched away just half a day later is also outrageously cruel." | In a statement, Zeid Raad al-Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said: "The way this deal was dangled in front of this battered and beleaguered population - causing them to hope they might indeed live to see another day - and then snatched away just half a day later is also outrageously cruel." |
| Meanwhile, the BBC has learned that Western forces are using satellites and unmanned aircraft to gather evidence of possible war crimes in Aleppo and elsewhere in Syria. | Meanwhile, the BBC has learned that Western forces are using satellites and unmanned aircraft to gather evidence of possible war crimes in Aleppo and elsewhere in Syria. |
| Besieged residents have faced weeks of bombardment and chronic food and fuel shortages. | Besieged residents have faced weeks of bombardment and chronic food and fuel shortages. |
| Medical facilities in the city have largely been reduced to rubble, as rebels have been squeezed into ever-smaller areas by a major government offensive, backed by Russian air power. | Medical facilities in the city have largely been reduced to rubble, as rebels have been squeezed into ever-smaller areas by a major government offensive, backed by Russian air power. |
| "The wounded and dead are lying in the street," one activist, Mohammad al-Khatib, told AFP. "No one dares to try and retrieve the bodies." | "The wounded and dead are lying in the street," one activist, Mohammad al-Khatib, told AFP. "No one dares to try and retrieve the bodies." |
| It is not clear how many people remain in the besieged areas. UN envoy Staffan de Mistura put the figure at about 50,000. | It is not clear how many people remain in the besieged areas. UN envoy Staffan de Mistura put the figure at about 50,000. |
| He said there were approximately 1,500 rebel fighters, about 30% of whom were from the jihadist group formerly known as the al-Nusra Front. | He said there were approximately 1,500 rebel fighters, about 30% of whom were from the jihadist group formerly known as the al-Nusra Front. |
| Other local sources say there could be as many as 100,000 people, many of them arriving from areas recently taken by the government. | Other local sources say there could be as many as 100,000 people, many of them arriving from areas recently taken by the government. |
| Meanwhile, demonstrations in solidarity with the people of Aleppo have taken place in cities across the world, including Hamburg in Germany, Sarajevo in Bosnia and Rabat in Morocco. | Meanwhile, demonstrations in solidarity with the people of Aleppo have taken place in cities across the world, including Hamburg in Germany, Sarajevo in Bosnia and Rabat in Morocco. |
| The lights of the Eiffel Tower were also dimmed. Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo said she hoped the gesture would highlight the need for "urgent action" to help the people of Aleppo. | The lights of the Eiffel Tower were also dimmed. Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo said she hoped the gesture would highlight the need for "urgent action" to help the people of Aleppo. |