The politburo chief of one prominent Aleppo rebel group, Fastaqim, said the agreement had “practically failed and has ended”, adding that it remained to be seen if anything could be done “in theory” to save it.
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US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are due on Wednesday to attend a special Security Council meeting on Syria, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting in NY. And Russia said government positions in southwestern Aleppo came under attack from militant groups, including a massive barrage of rockets.
“Well, the Syrians didn’t make the deal”, Kerry told reporters in NY. -Russian brokered cease-fire was over, shortly after the Russian military said it was “meaningless” to continue observing the agreement.
The Syrian government has accused the US-led coalition – which has been bombing IS in Syria for more than two years – of carrying out an “intentional” strike to support IS in the area.
Jan Egeland, humanitarian aid coordinator in the office of the United Nations envoy for Syria, told The Associated Press in a text message that the convoy was “bombarded”. Spokesman Kirby called on Russian Federation, which is responsible for ensuring Syria’s compliance, to clarify the Syrian position.
The Syrian army said it was launching a “major operation” against rebels in Damascus on Monday, as its sponsor Russian Federation said a week-long ceasefire was “pointless” due to violations by rebels. Despite numerous violations by the government and Syrian rebels, the US has few other options for ending the five-year-old conflict that has killed a half-million people, contributed to Europe’s worst refugee crisis since World War II and allowed the Islamic State group to emerge as a global threat.
“The UK would not intentionally target Syrian military units”.
But it came at a tense time, as the week-long ceasefire brokered by the United States and Russian Federation was less than 48 hours from completion.
He said the U.S.is prepared to extend the cease-fire, “while working to strengthen it and expand deliveries of assistance”.
Damascus’ major ally Moscow insists that Syrian forces have fully respected the truce – which is meant to end hostilities and ensure aid deliveries – but that rebels have kept up bombardments. However, he also repeated calls for the sustained delivery of humanitarian aid to Aleppo and other besieged communities.
The station says Monday’s airstrikes targeted IS positions in areas such as the Tharda Mountain, overlooking the airport of the city of Deir el-Zour.
The ceasefire officially started last Monday after months of negotiations between the United States and Russian Federation.
A United Nations official said the report is still being verified.
In the statement, the regime goes on to stress its determination to “continue… the fight against terrorism with a view to restoring Syria’s security and stability”.
“The cease-fire is not dead”, Kerry insisted.
Asked about the Syrian declaration that the ceasefire was over, Kerry said, “We have not had seven days of calm and of delivery of humanitarian goods”.
The US-Russia brokered truce aimed to allow humanitarian access and joint attacks against militant groups, which are not covered by the agreement, including Daesh and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham.
“This step (cease-fire) was to constitute a real chance to stop the bloodshed”.
He said USA and Russian officials were meeting in Geneva to try to sort out aid deliveries to Aleppo and other besieged communities. The official said, however, that even though USA operations over the area had ceased in the immediate aftermath of the strike, it did not preclude US aircraft from returning to the area in the coming days.
Spokesman John Kirby said Russian Federation, which is responsible for ensuring Syria’s compliance, should clarify the Syrian position. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights gave a different death toll, saying 90 troops were killed in the strikes.
The already shaky ceasefire deal was soured on Saturday when US-led coalition forces targeting Islamic State, also known as Isis, said they had accidentally struck regime forces, killing more than 60 soldiers.
As violations mount, a senior Syrian opposition official declared the cease-fire “clinically dead”, adding that government forces have violated the truce all over the country.
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Damascus:Syrians walk through the rubble following an air strike on the rebel-controlled neighbourhood of Karm al-Jabal on Sunday.
