Hizballah, Nusra exchange bodies under Syria-Lebanon border plan

Hizballah and Nusra Front militants will exchange bodies of dead fighters along the Lebanese-Syrian border in the first stage of a settlement to restore order to the contested region, Hizballah's al-Manar TV station has reported.

Hizballah said it is handing over the bodies of nine al-Nusra fighters in exchange for the bodies of five of its own militants who were killed in two weeks of battles along the mountainous Jurud Arsal area, al-Manar reported on Sunday.

The fighting ended with a ceasefire on Thursday to allow remaining fighters and families of the former al-Qaeda affiliate to retreat to Syria's northwest Idlib province.

The brief offensive killed nearly 150 of the Sunni militants and about two dozen Hizballah fighters.