The uncertainty cast doubts on a U.S.
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Russia, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, renewed on Sunday its call for the U.S. to influence rebel groups it supports inside Syria, blaming them for violating the ceasefire.
The incident provoked Russia, a long standing ally of President Bashar al-Assad’s government, into calling for an emergency United Nations council meeting on Saturday, where Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said the attack put a “very big question mark” over the future of the ceasefire.
Russian Federation has said the Syrian army has begun to withdraw from the road, but insurgent groups in Aleppo have said they have seen no such move and would not pull back from their own positions around the road until it did so. That leaves little trust on the ground and the danger that fighting could resume any moment.
CNN analyst retired Lt. Col. Francona said Saturday the airstrike could have jeopardized the plan for Moscow and Washington to work together.
But Kerry was forced to admit the week-old ceasefire – which he protested was “holding but fragile” – had not led to a significant delivery of humanitarian aid.
Syria called Saturday’s US-led strikes on the outskirts of the eastern city of Deir el-Zour a “dangerous and blatant aggression against the Syrian Arab Republic and its army”. She declined to say whether Australian fighter jets were involved or support aircraft.
Defence Minister Marise Payne has vowed there will be no pause in Australian air strikes against the so-called Islamic State as an investigation is carried out into the accidental bombing of at least 60 Syrian soldiers.
Mr Joyce described the incident as a “complete tragedy”, but said the greater tragedy would be to let Islamic State’s view of the world prevail.
Syria accused the United States of sabotaging the ceasefire.
Sunday was the deadliest day of the truce so far, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, with 11 civilians killed in areas where the ceasefire was supposed to have taken hold.
The Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said he regretted the loss of life and injury but will not speculate about why the air strike in eastern Syria went so badly wrong.
A Syrian ceasefire brokered by the United States and Russian Federation was in deep trouble on Monday as a rebel official said it had practically failed and signalled insurgents were preparing for a full resumption of fighting.
Although Kerry professed hope, USA officials said Monday conditions were still not right to set up the Joint Implementation Center.
The Syrian army, though, said last week it would expire at midnight on Sunday.
Seven days after the cease-fire went into effect, aid convoys have not been able to reach besieged rebel-held neighborhoods of the northern city of Aleppo.
The Homs governor Talal Barazi said the evacuation had been postponed due to “logistical obstacles”, and negotiating committees were completing the preparations, state TV reported. It said it had initially targeted Tharda mountain where Syrian forces were simultaneously trying to secure IS positions overlooking the Deir ez-Zour military airport.
Syria’s Foreign Ministry said Sunday that “American” warplanes repeatedly attacked Syrian army positions the pervious afternoon.
The Syrian government then would be barred from conducting air operations in those areas.
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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.
