At least 62 people – including 13 children – were killed in heavy bombardment on Idlib city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said yesterday.
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Syria’s five-year civil war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced 11 million – half the country’s prewar population – causing a refugee crisis in the Middle East and Europe and inspiring jihadist attacks around the world.
In a stark message to opponents, Assad made a rare public appearance Monday by attending prayers for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha at a mosque in the Damascus suburb of Daraya.
Still, a senior official inside Ahrar al-Sham said rebels would nevertheless abide by the cease-fire to regroup after a punishing conflict with pro-government forces over Aleppo.
Underscoring the war’s global impact, President Bashar al-Assad is backed by Russia’s air force, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and Shi’ite militias from Iraq and Lebanon while the rebels are supported by the U.S., Turkey and Gulf Arab states.
“Civilians have no hope anymore”.
Syria’s main opposition group the High Negotiations Committee – which brings together political dissidents with armed rebel factions – had yet to formally respond.
Under the plan, Syrian government forces will end combat missions in specified opposition-held areas.
Scores of people have died following a series of airstrikes in the Syrian cities of Aleppo and Idlib – hours after the USA and Russian Federation announced plans for a nationwide ceasefire to begin on Monday.
The agreement was announced early Saturday in Geneva jointly by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
To get aid into the battered second city of Aleppo, a “demilitarised zone” would be established around the Castello Road into the city.
Key regime ally Iran welcomed the plan on Sunday and called for “comprehensive monitoring” of the truce, particularly along Syria’s volatile borders.
In Damascus, resident Taher Ibrahim said he did not expect any lasting respite from the fighting.
Rebel groups believe they are treated unfairly by the deal and complain that they were not consulted about it, he said.
It said excluding Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, a former al Qaeda affiliate, but not foreign militias backed by Iran, was a double standard and would make the deal less likely to succeed, warning that Russian Federation and the government would use it as a pretext to attack other rebel groups.
Despite fundamental differences in their vision for Syria, rebels and opposition activists hailed a rebel coalition led by Jabhat Fatah al-Sham when it broke a government siege on the rebel-held eastern quarters in Aleppo.
The death toll is expected to rise, according to the monitoring group.
A lot of the rebel doubts about the ceasefire are the same as they were the last time, centering on general distrust of the government and Russian Federation.
“Today after sunset, whether it is the United Nations or our Red Crescent, they will send food, toys and clothing to the people, mainly in Aleppo, through the predetermined corridors”, Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul.
“What truce, when the regime commits a massacre in Idlib?” said Ahmad Saud, commander of the USA -backed Division 13 brigade, on Twitter.
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Previous cease-fires were also preceded by soaring violence as parties on all sides sought to improve their positions in the build-up.
