Syrian Government To Let Aid Into Besieged Villages

The United Nations says the Syrian government has agreed to allow humanitarian aid into three beleaguered villages.

In a statement on January 7, the UN said that assistance will begin entering the villages "in the coming days."

It said there were "credible reports of people dying from starvation" in one of the villages in question, Madaya near the border with Lebanon, which has been besieged by government forces and their allies in Lebanon's Shi'ite Hizballah movement.

The other two locations are the Shi’ite villages of Foua and Kfarya in the northern province of Idlib, which have been besieged by antigovernment fighters.

Up to 4.5 million people in Syria live in hard-to-reach areas, including nearly 400,000 people in 15 besieged areas.

Based on reporting by AP, AFP, Reuters, and the BBC