A Syrian national flag flutters near residents who said they have received permission from the Syrian government to leave the besieged town as they wait with their belongings after an aid convoy entered Madaya, Syria.

Syria’s state news agency SANA says opposition gunmen have opened fire on aid vehicles in the besieged rebel-held town of Madaya, near the capital Damascus, but no casualties were reported.

A SARQ official said on Wednesday that the convoy, which included vehicles from the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, was evacuating sick people from Madaya when it came under fire by unknown gunmen.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said the operation had been completed and people successfully evacuated.

Madaya, which has been besieged by government and allied militiamen for months, gained international attention after harrowing pictures emerged showing emaciated children and starving residents.

SANA said the shooting occurred late Tuesday night delaying operations for several hours.

Related articles across the web

• Syrian government starving its own people to death in bid to crush rebel forces
• Three civilians injured in terrorist mortar attacks on residential neighborhoods in Daraa
• The Latest: 'Like a siege of Aleppo is about to begin'
• Syria allows aid into rebel-held area as peace talks stall
• Second convoy of aid reaches rebel-held Syrian town
• Syrian Front : The Last 48 Hours
• #UPDATE #SYRIA #ICRC & Red Crescent deliver food and medical supplies to 120,000 poor, starving and hungry people in town of besieged #Madaya and surrounding villages - @AceNewsServices
• More Than A Million Civilians Are Under Siege In Syria, Mostly By Regime, Report Says
• He Bought Them Lunch. They Learned How To Read.
• Syria regime forces enter villages after Aleppo advance