Syria envoy Brahimi heads to Syria, plans to meet Assad

International peace envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi speaks at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo December 18, 2012.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - International peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi will head to Syria on Sunday and is expected to meet President Bashar al-Assad a day later, airport sources in Lebanon said.

Brahimi arrived in Beirut International Airport on Sunday afternoon from Cairo and would head to the Syrian capital Damascus by car, the sources said. Damascus airport has been almost completely shut down due to fighting nearby between rebels and Assad's forces.

(Reporting by Erika Solomon; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)