The regime of silence truce came apparently to mark the three-day holiday of the Muslim Eid al-Fitr feast, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.
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On Wednesday morning, the first day of the Eid holiday marking the end of Ramadan, the Syrian government announced a three day unilateral “regime of calm” to last through midnight on Friday. Groups fighting under the banner of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) say however that they control the rebel-held part of the city.
The rebel group Jaish al Islam said in a statement that, despite the announced truce, government and allied forces had attacked the town of Maydaa, in the Eastern Ghouta area east of Damascus.
If it holds, this would be the first truce since a U.S. -Russia-brokered “cessation of hostilities” came into effect on February 27. But opposition groups and a monitoring organisation said little had actually changed on the ground.
Government and allied forces reportedly took nearly complete control of Maydaa and fighting continued on Wednesday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The United States is discussing with Russian Federation and other parties a possible extension of the 72-hour silence regime declared in Syria earlier on Wednesday, US Secretary of State John Kerry said.
There was no immediate indication whether rebel forces opposing President Bashar al-Assad’s regime would abide by the new cease-fire.
A New Syrian Army fighter, named as Khalid al-Hamad, also told opposition news site al-Dorar that the group had not been supplied with sufficient weapons for the fight.
According to the Syrian army, a “terrorist” group had tried to attack army positions in the area, and that its forces had thwarted the assault and taken control over the southern al-Malah Farms alongside the Castello Road.
The Observatory said five air strikes hit the town of Jisr al-Shughour in rebel-held Idlib province, killing two children who were brothers, and injuring a number of others.
Syrian state media reported the Syrian army was engaged in operations against ISIS militants on Wednesday.
However, the cessation of hostilities does not apply to terrorist organizations, such as the Islamic State and the Nusra Front.
As is so often the case, the implementing the ceasefire was a lot harder than announcing it, with rebels claiming shelling against rebel targets around metro Damascus continued even after the ceasefire was announced.
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The U.N. Syria envoy, Staffan de Mistura, noted “initial reports of potential violations” but urged all parties to abide by the truce. “Without a full and lasting truce, and without full and continuous humanitarian access to all people in need in Syria, it is unrealistic to expect a resumption of negotiations”.
