Ceasefire in Syria's Homs to allow rebel withdrawal

Soldiers loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and the media are seen in front of the Crac des Chevaliers fortress in Homs countryside, after soldiers loyal to Assad took control of it from rebel fighters, March 21, 2014. REUTERS/Khaled al-Hariri

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian authorities and rebel fighters agreed a 24-hour ceasefire in the Old City district of Homs on Friday to allow besieged rebels to pull out of their last stronghold in the central Syrian city, a monitoring group and television stations said.

A final rebel withdrawal from the city once dubbed the "capital of the revolution" would mark a significant and symbolic military advance by forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad, one month before his likely re-election as president.