Two al-Qaida linked Syrian militias have agreed to a nine-month cease-fire with Hizballah in a deal backed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Qatar.

This accord affects the northwestern Syrian city of Idlib and several nearby towns, as well as in the towns of Babila and Beit Wamil, located south of Damascus.

The al-Qaida linked militias will release 1,500 detainees, half of whom the satellite channel Al-Jisr TV says are women, to the Assad regime. Civilians and fighters loyal to the Assad regime will be evacuated from two towns in the Idlib region.

In exchange, the Assad regime will release hundreds of detainees, and al-Qaida linked fighters will be allowed to leave the southwestern Syrian towns of Zabadani, Bloudan and Madaya.

Al-Jisr TV reports that Qatar will act as the guarantor of the cease-fire and will facilitate the release of the prisoners and the return of displaced persons to their homes.