A Syrian rebel group said Saturday that a cease-fire negotiated with the Syrian army and its Lebanese ally, Hezbollah, had collapsed and fighting had resumed in the strategic northern town of Zabadani and two nearby villages.
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Syrian state television said a child and her father had been killed and 12 others wounded in “terrorist shelling” on the regime-held villages of Fuaa and Kafraya in Idlib province.
While the ceasefire has been agreed upon, Abdel Rahman told AFP negotiations were ongoing regarding the withdrawal of all rebel fighters from Zabadani, as well as a halt to the siege of Fuaa and Kafraya.
Ahmed Qara Ali, spokesman for the Ahrar al-Sham militant group, said armed groups had begun to escalate military operations after the collapse of negotiations between the warring sides brokered by Iran and Turkey, Reuters reported.
On Wednesday, pro-Assad army forces and rebel battalions had reached a truce in Zabadani town.
In Fuaa, a resident confirmed the bombardment.
The ceasefire additionally consists of the Shi’ite cities of Kefraya and Foua in Idlib province that are beneath assault by an alliance of Islamist insurgents generally known as the “Army of Fatah”, which incorporates Ahrar al Sham. “The truce failed and the attacks have resumed”.
Before its ended, intensive negotiations had been under way to try and prolong the agreement.
A rebel demand for the release of 40,000 prisoners “on a national level” was also rejected.
Ahrar al-Sham said it blamed the failure of the talks on the Iranian delegation with which it was negotiating, saying it was trying to effectively exchange one area for another.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV, citing its own sources, said the truce was over and rebel positions near Zabadani were being shelled.
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“Since this morning, at least 200 rockets have been fired at the villages of Fuaa and Kafraya”, said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor. “It’s not clear if the breaches are attempts by the parties to improve the conditions of the deal or come from those who want to thwart the negotiations”.
