BEIRUT: As the deadline approached for the departure of Free Syrian Army-linked rebels and Syrian civilians from Lebanon, bound for Syria, Lebanon’s northeastern town of Arsal Monday braced for the future.

Members of Saraya Ahl al-Sham – a rebel group linked to the Free Syrian Army – along with their families and self-selected Syrian refugees were set to leave the outskirts of Arsal Monday morning, a security source told The Daily Star on Sunday. The source gave a deadline of 10 a.m. for the departure, but that deadline passed without apparent movement.

Buses arrived on the outskirts of Arsal Sunday evening to carry the militants after all logistical details were finalized.

Hezbollah’s War Media Center previously said in a tweet that 350 fighters from Saraya Ahl al-Sham and 3,124 people from camps near Arsal were expected to leave.

They will follow a similar route taken by buses carrying militants belonging to Jabhat Fatah al-Sham last month.

The already delayed deal to repatriate the rebel fighters and Syrian refugees was initially scheduled for Saturday but faced additional “logistical” hurdles over the weekend.