Syria army declares ‘end’ of ceasefire

But late Monday, U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby called the convoy attack an “egregious violation” of the week-long cease-fire and said the U.S. The offensive, he said, will last until the area “is no longer a threat” to Turkey.

The Observatory reported 35 strikes in and around Aleppo since the truce ended.

The seven-day ceasefire was supposed to end at midnight on Sunday, according to a Syrian army statement issued last week.

Representatives from the US and Russian Federation were meeting in Geneva on September 19 to try to extend the cease-fire.

The Syrian military said its ceasefire obligations would end Monday evening, and that they “do not know if the truce will be extended again”.

Asked about the army’s statement, Kerry told reporters in NY the seven days of calm and aid deliveries envisaged in the truce had not yet taken place. Dujarric said the convoy was delivering aid to 78,000 people in the town of Urm al-Kubra, which was hit by multiple strikes.

The Syrian government blamed rebel forces for the apparent collapse of the shaky ceasefire, alleging that rebels had breached the deal 300 times; rebel forces meanwhile held the government accountable, with some rebel leaders claiming the Syrian government had broken the truce on more than 250 occasions.

Under the terms of the Geneva agreement, the USA was supposed to rein in opposition forces and Moscow was to ensure its ally Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad halt attacks. “We’re happy to have a conversation with them”, he said, of the Russian side.

The agreement, negotiated by top diplomats from government backer Russian Federation and the United States, saw an initial drop in fighting across the country after it came into force on September 12.

The Syrian military said earlier on Monday that the ceasefire had expired.

He also said humanitarian aid was on its way to besieged areas.

In a statement released by the state SANA news agency, the Syrian military said that “terrorist groups did not adhere to any of the points of the agreement on a ceasefire”.

The strikes came shortly after Syria’s army declared an end to the ceasefire between the regime and non-jihadist rebels brokered by Russian Federation and the United States.

Sirens wailed as ambulances zipped through the eastern rebel-held half of the divided city, the correspondent said, describing the bombardment as “non-stop”.

The US military said in a statement that the air force “had earlier informed Russian counterparts of the upcoming strike”, but that the Russian military did not provide the information about the Syrian military position until the airstrikes had already begun.

He referred to a 20-truck convoy, the first of two that would have carried flour and other food supplies, enough to feed some 185,000 people for one month, he said.

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The row erupted amid mounting reports of ceasefire violations – including air strikes by Syrian government forces on rebel held areas of the beleaguered city of Aleppo.