The Syrian army has said the truce will be applied throughout Syria for seven days, but that it reserves the right to respond decisively to any violation by armed groups.
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The nationwide truce is the second major attempt by world powers to halt – or at least curb – the fighting that has killed almost half a million people, decimated cities and infrastructure and spawned a humanitarian crisis stretching from the Middle East to Europe. “We’re now just trying to survive the day”.
The truce, brokered by the US and Russian Federation and which came into effect at sunset Monday, is being observed in hotspots of conflict across the country, the United Kingdom -based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said.
It also marks the biggest bet yet by the administration of US President Barack Obama that it can work with Russian Federation to end a war that President Vladimir Putin transformed a year ago when he sent warplanes to join the fight on Assad’s side.
If the ceasefire holds for a week, Moscow and Washington will then begin an unprecedented joint campaign to target extremists, including ISIL and former AL Qaeda affiliate Jabhat Fateh Al Sham.
“We have agreed on the areas where such co-ordinated strikes would be taking place, and in those areas, on neutral agreement shared by the Syrian government as well, only the Russian and United States air force will be functional”, Lavrov said.
The Syrian government says it will not allow aid, particularly “from the Turkish regime”, to be delivered to Aleppo without prior co-ordination with it and the UN.
In a statement, the Syrian government warned it would not allow Turkish humanitarian aid into the besieged city of Aleppo without its permission.
One of the more immediate goals of the Kerry-Lavrov agreement is to allow the United Nations to establish aid corridors into Aleppo, the contested northern Syrian city.
Cease-fire violations were reported outside Aleppo, as well as in the central province of Hama, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Another activist group, the Local Coordination Committees reported some shelling in Aleppo and the southern region of Quneitra.
Hours before the deal went into effect, Assad reiterated his determination to reconquer all of Syria from what he termed “terrorists”, signaling that he has no plans to stop fighting to crush the five-year-old rebellion against his regime.
Turkey’s state-run news agency said 20 United Nations trucks have left Turkey to deliver humanitarian aid to Aleppo. “We need to do more homework”, said de Mistura.
Saudi Arabia, one of the main supporters of the rebels, on Tuesday welcomed a ceasefire in Syria and said it hoped the deal would lead to a resumption of peace talks to end war in the country.
The U.S. urged Syrian rebel factions to distance themselves from the group.
Russia’s foreign ministry is pushing to release it, with Mr. Lavrov telling reporters on Tuesday that Moscow wants the deal to be made public but that the US opposes such a move.
Lavrov said Moscow “has nothing to hide” and wants the UN.Security Council to formally approve the Syria truce deal as well.
The Observatory said pro-government forces during Tuesday had shelled near two villages in the south Aleppo countryside and had also shelled the Jobar neighborhood on the outskirts of Damascus.
But that group has been playing a key role alongside other rebels in areas like Aleppo, so separating its fighters from those who are protected by the ceasefire may prove to be the most hard task of the coming days.
It said more than 300,000 people have been killed since Syria’s 5½-year conflict began. Its last official count was 250,000 dead.
The Syrian military says its forces have shot down two Israeli aircraft – a warplane and a drone – near the Israeli-controlled part of the Golan Heights.
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Rebel groups have criticized the agreement for not imposing direct penalties for violations, and claim it could give Assad’s military a chance to try to expand its grip.
