The main opposition High Committee for Negotiations (HNC) gave a reserved endorsement for the cease-fire on Wednesday, saying it will participate for two weeks to determine the commitment of the other side.
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The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition group that monitors the conflict, said at least 70 militants and 20 Kurdish fighters were killed in the clashes.
United Nations Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura will announce on Friday a date for a new round of talks between Syria’s warring parties, he told reporters on Thursday.
Russian Federation “must turn words into actions” to influence the situation in Syria started by the cessation of hostilities in the country, the UK’s ambassador to the United Nations has said.
The cease-fire marks the most ambitious global attempt yet to reduce violence in the devastating conflict, which has killed more than 250,000 people, wounded a million and generated one of the worst refugee crises since World War II.
The United States and Russian Federation should be able to deal with potential violations of ceasefire regime in Syria, Nabil Fahmy said.
The Syrian government has confirmed they are going to abide by the ceasefire, and today the Kurdish YPG also affirmed their intention to go along with the deal.
“The decisive fight against them will, without doubt, be continued”, he said in televised remarks.
“The Russian Federation has completely stopped attacks in the “green zone”, that is to say those areas and armed units that have sent to us requests for cease-fire”, Maj.
The HNC said any new bombing of the rebel-held town of Daraya, southwestern of Damascus, would violate the agreement after the army said it would exclude it from the ceasefire because forces there included Al-Nusra fighters.
The ceasefire agreement brokered by Moscow and Washington calls for a “cessation of hostilities” between Russian-backed President Bashar al-Assad’s forces and opposition groups from midnight Friday Damascus time (2200 GMT).
Under the terms, Russia, whose warplanes have targeted non-ISIS and non-al Qaeda Syrian opposition groups, will halt those airstrikes.
If there are violations, he said, “the important point that we need to see is that if those incidents will be quickly brought under control and contained”. “The only thing that is required is for people to take their fingers off the trigger”. The elusive cease-fire deal was reached only after a monthslong Russian air campaign that the USA says strengthened Assad’s hand and allowed his forces to retake territory, altering the balance of power in the Syrian civil war.
Citing a military source, Syrian state TV said “terrorist groups” have fired rockets from neighbourhoods east of Damascus.
The Observatory also reported artillery bombardment by government forces and air strikes overnight in Hama province, and artillery bombardment by government forces in Homs province.
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The Syrian government has said the cessation plan could fail if foreign states supply rebels with weapons or insurgents use the truce to rearm.
