An Aleppo-based opposition media collective, Aleppo24, said Russian warplanes left Aleppo skies at 12:19 a.m.
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Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said the agreement could be “a turning point” in the war, even as Russian planes launched a wave of attacks on non-jihadist rebel areas before the deadline.
Sunday’s air raids came on the second day of a cease-fire brokered by Russian Federation and the United States, the most ambitious effort yet to curb the violence of the country’s five-year civil war.
A temporary truce in Syria fighting that started at midnight Damascus time (2200 GMT) on Saturday seemed largely to hold, Reuters reported.
The centre chief, Lt Gen Sergei Kuralenko, who spoke via a video link from the base, said fighting has stopped in 34 towns and villages in the provinces of Hama, Homs and Damascus.
And the Russian military reported an attack on the Syrian border town of Tal Abyad from Turkish territories with the use of large-calibre artillery and has asked the United States for an explanation.
The deal marks the biggest diplomatic push yet to end Syria’s five-year war, which has killed more than 260,000 people and displaced millions from their homes.
The cessation of hostilities applies to all of Syria, except for areas where the so-called Islamic State and another armed group, Jabat al-Nusra, operate, as well as terrorist groups already designated by the Security Council. “The list of armed units, according to the USA delegation, was sent to us via diplomatic channels”, he said, adding that the Russian side is working on matching the acquired information with the data they have.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the two senior diplomats welcomed “the implementation of the ceasefire” in the Arab country.
He said the United States should inform the HNC, and should have involved them before backing a UN resolution on the cessation of hostilities.
Nusra Front, one of Syria’s most powerful Islamist rebel groups, on Friday urged insurgents to intensify their attacks on President Bashar al-Assad and his allies, adding to dangers facing the agreement.
Intermittent clashes between pro-regime forces and both groups continued after the ceasefire began, the Observatory said, as well as fighting between jihadists and Kurdish forces.
The fighting began after midnight Friday and was still ongoing, Sillo said.
Obama also underscored the importance of the impending ceasefire in Syria, which is set to take effect on Saturday.
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The rebel-held Damascus suburb of Douma was hit 40 times on Friday, the Observatory said, along with other areas east of the capital, killing at least eight people, including three women and four children. Other rebels seen as moderates by the West say they fear this will be used to justify attacks on them.
