A ceasefire the United Nations has described as the best hope for peace in five years of civil war in Syria appears to be holding.
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Warplanes unleashed airstrikes Friday against rebel-held positions in the suburbs of the Syrian capital and near the northern city of Aleppo, hours before a cease-fire brokered by the United States and Russian Federation was to go into effect at midnight local time across the war-ravaged country.
The extremist group, along with al-Qaida’s branch in Syria, the Nusra Front, is not party to the cease-fire, which went into effect at midnight.
“Let’s pray that this works because frankly this is the best opportunity we can imagine the Syrian people has had for the first five years in order to see something better and hopefully something related to peace”, said the United Nations’ Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura.
Russian air strikes have stopped for now and guns have reportedly fallen mostly silent.
In Washington, U.S. State Department Mark Toner expressed confidence in the cessation of hostilities, pointing out that the opposition’s High Negotiations Committee and Syrian Democratic Forces, and the vast majority of its armed groups, have accepted the terms.
He says continued government breaches however will force rebel factions to retaliate.
The ceasefire deal excludes the so-called Islamic State and the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front, which can still be targeted.
“The air base in Latakia, which the Russians use for their air strikes, was very calm as well”, said Al Jazeera’s Omar al-Salah, reporting from Turkey’s Gaziantep on the border with Syria.
Damascus and its ally Russian Federation, as well as a range of insurgent groups fighting against them, have said they would take part in the plan.
The two-week truce does not apply to “terrorist organizations designated by the U.N. Security Council”, including ISIS and al-Nusra.
The UN estimates that the Syrian crisis has claimed more than 250,000 lives since it broke out in March 2011.
“It’s zero hour, Damascus time”, Japanese Ambassador Motohide Yoshikawa said as the clock struck within a minute of the scheduled starting time.
In a phone call, they welcomed “the implementation of the ceasefire in Syria”, the ministry said in a statement. He said 74 opposition units including more than 6,100 fighters have agreed to adhere to the truce.
The Russian combat sorties have expedited the operations of Syrian forces to liberate areas under the control of militants.
One rebel commander has also accused government forces of several violations. The Observatory reported that two villages were taken by the government troops, which were working to open the only road linking the city of Aleppo with central and western Syria.
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The Observatory said intense fighting is ongoing near the northern town of Khanaser between pro-government forces and IS.
