The warring sides in Syria confirmed on Thursday that the evacuation of rebel fighters and thousands of civilians from the last sliver of the besieged eastern city of Aleppo is imminent, with a Syrian army official saying all is ready for them to leave "at any moment".

The Syrian regime has agreed to allow women and children to leave besieged rebel-held areas of the central city of Homs, UN mediator Lakhdar Brahimi said at peace talks in Geneva.