ALEPPO, Syria — The Morek crossing is open once again to traffic between areas controlled by the Syrian regime and those held by the armed opposition. Commercial traffic began using the crossing Nov. 2 for the first time in three months, and civilians were allowed to enter beginning Nov. 8.

“Dozens of public transport buses crossed from both sides between regime-controlled areas and opposition-held ones in the northern Hama countryside," Mohammad al-Sayyed, an official with the media office of the Morek City Council, told Al-Monitor. "Civilian movement is going smoothly. The majority are elderly people crossing into regime-controlled areas to visit their relatives or get to hospitals. Some students are making their way into universities in regime-held areas.”

Opening the crossing aims to alleviate the suffering of northern Syria residents.

“Allowing civilians to cross has positive effects and facilitates the movement of people between the regime’s areas and those of the opposition in northern Syria," Sayyed said. "It has helped families reunite on special occasions, and students from both sides now have the chance to complete their studies. This has a great role in activating the economic movement in opposition-controlled areas in particular."