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ALEPPO, Syria, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- The evacuation of thousands of civilians and fighters stranded in eastern Aleppo resumed late Sunday after hours of delay and a new deal between the rebels and Syrian government. Six buses en route to Foah and Kefraya in Idlib province were burned by rebels, the United Kingdom-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. Syrian state media said "armed terrorists" attacked five buses, burned and destroyed them, according to a BBC report.
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Shortly after midnight, Robert Mardini of the International Committee of the Red Cross, said on twitter five buses and one ambulance had just left "dark &d cold" eastern Aleppo.
United Nations humanitarian adviser Jan Egeland confirmed on Twitter. the first "limited evacuations" from eastern Aleppo and the towns of Kefraya and Foah began, United Nations humanitarian adviser Jan Egeland said on Twitter.
Residents had continued to sleep on the streets and in bombed-out buildings in subfreezing temperatures since Friday, when earlier evacuations also halted.
Also Sunday, France and Russia, which backs Syria's government, announced an agreement on a compromise United Nations resolution to deploy U.N. monitors to check on evacuations and immediate delivery of humanitarian aid.
France's U.N. ambassador, Francois Delattre told reporters the compromise was reached after closed consultations Sunday and the Security Council would vote on the resolution Monday. Russia' Vitaly Churkin had threatened to veto the resolution "because this is a disaster" but the French text was revised on the monitoring.
Buses had begun entering several neighborhoods Sunday under the supervision of the Red Crescent and the International Committee of the Red Cross, Syrian state media, SANA, said.
After two days of negotiations, a new deal was reached Saturday for safe passage, according to a statement by Osama Abazid of the the Free Syrian Army rebel alliance.
In exchange, those loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime will be evacuated from four cities held or besieged by U.S.-backed rebels.
Syrian state media reported only civilians and fighters will be allowed to leave eastern Aleppo once families in Fua and Kefraya are evacuated.
A source in Aleppo told Al Jazeera 4,000 people will evacuate the Shia-majority towns of Fua and Kefraya, and 1,500 people in the government-besieged Madaya and Zabadani and everyone in eastern Aleppo will also be allowed to evacuate as part of this deal.
As many as 9,000 people were evacuated from east Aleppo in nine convoys Thursday and Friday. But the process was suspended Friday when the two sides accused each other of violating an earlier agreement.
SANA has said some evacuees were found to be transporting weapons and advanced communication devices.
The International Committee of the Red Cross reported Sunday "thousands of people -- including women, children, the sick and injured -- remain trapped in eastern Aleppo city waiting for the evacuation operation to continue. They waited throughout the night in freezing temperatures, close to the front line and in constant fear and anxiety."
Last week, the Syrian government claimed victory in Aleppo, which had been partly under rebel control since 2012.
Reports differ on how many people remain in eastern Aleppo, with numbers ranging from 15,000 to 40,000 civilians, along with an estimated 6,000 fighters.
