Syrian government workers have entered a formerly rebel-held area near Damascus to begin restoring water to the capital after weeks of shortages, state media reported.

The engineers entered the facilities at Ain al-Fija in the opposition-held Wadi Barada area by agreement with the rebels, the governor said to SkyNews on Friday.

"We have halted military operations in Ain al-Fija and started reconciliation with the militias there," said provincial governor Alaa Ibrahim, speaking to reporters from an area near the spring.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, confirmed that repair crews had reached the Ain al-Fija spring and that the Syrian flag had been raised in the area.

The reported deal comes after weeks of fighting in the region,15 kilometers northwest of Damascus, that has threatened a fragile truce in place since December 30.

The fighting has damaged water infrastructure and left some 5.5 million people in the capital and its suburbs facing water shortages, according to the United Nations.

Earlier on Friday, the army had advanced into Wadi Barada, taking the village of Baseema under heavy fire, the Syrian Observatory said.

Source: MENA