BEIRUT (AP) — White Helmets volunteers trapped in southern Syria after the government seized areas they operated in said Wednesday they live in fear of being caught in the dragnet of the government, which considers them one of its staunchest enemies, and are desperately seeking a way out.

Hundreds of the volunteer rescue workers — who have toiled in conflict-ravaged opposition areas for years — have failed to make it out of southern Syria in a complex international evacuation.

The evacuation of more than 400 White Helmets was executed under the cover of darkness across the tightly sealed front...