Thousands of rebel fighters and civilians are to evacuate the besieged town of Daraya near the Syrian capital under an accord struck on Thursday, state news agency SANA said.

"Seven hundred armed men with their personal weapons will leave Daraya to head to the city of Idlib, while thousands of men and women with their families will be taken to reception centres," it said.

A military source told AFP that the army would enter Daraya, which has been under a regime siege for the past four years, after the evacuation from the rebel-held town.