Buses carrying al-Nusra Front militants, their families and scores of refugees began moving from Lebanon's Arsal to Syria's Flita Wednesday afternoon, after the first phase of a Nusra-Hizbullah prisoner exchange deal was finalized overnight with the release of three Hizbullah fighters in return for three Syrian Nusra prisoners.

Hizbullah's al-Manar TV said 113 buses carrying around 8,000 militants and refugees were moving into Syria. The evacuees include Nusra's leader in the area Abu Malek al-Talli.

The United Kingdom congratulated on Tuesday the Lebanese army on the occasion of Army Day and stressed the UK's continued support for the country's military institution, a press statement released by the British embassy said.

Hizbullah senior official Nabil Qawouq on Tuesday said the “battle against takfiri terrorism is not over yet,” assuring that Lebanon is capable of liberating the outskirts of Ras Baalbek and al-Qaa from the jihadist militants.

President Michel Aoun assured on Tuesday that Lebanon's military and security institutions are “fully prepared” to confront all forms of terrorism.

“We do not retreat in the face of terrorism in all its aspects and organizations. The army and the security institutions are ready to confront it,” said Aoun during a ceremony marking the 72nd anniversary of Army Day.

Lebanon marks on Tuesday the 72nd anniversary of the founding of its army, as the military institution gears up for a challenging battle in the outskirts of the border towns of al-Qaa and Ras Baalbek to eliminate jihadists entrenched in the area.

George Clooney's foundation is planning to open seven public schools for Syrian refugee children.

The second round of an exchange between Lebanon's Hizbullah and Syria's former al-Qaida affiliate al-Nusra Front has been postponed to Tuesday due to "logistical problems," TV networks said on Monday.

The process was supposed to begin with the evacuation of Nusra's militants and their families from the outskirts of the Lebanese border town of Arsal to north Syria.

Speaker Nabih Berri described as an “achievement” the recent Hizbullah operation against the jihadist al-Nusra Front group in the outskirts of Arsal, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Monday.

“What happened in the outskirts is a great achievement that is in its final stages,” Berri was quoted as telling his visitors.

The second phase of a ceasefire deal reached between Hizbullah and the jihadist al-Nusra Front group militants is due on Monday, amid reports that top Nusra official Abu Malek al-Talli has already moved to the border town of Arsal and will likely be flown to Turkey later on, the pan-Arab al-Hayat daily reported.

Hizbullah's al-Manar TV station reported Sunday that the group was exchanging the bodies of dead fighters with al-Nusra Front along the Lebanese-Syrian border in the first stage of a settlement that would restore order to the border region.

Hizbullah said it is handing over the bodies of nine Nusra fighters in exchange for the bodies of five of its own who were killed in two weeks of battles along the frontier.