It had been described as Syria’s best hope for peace in the five-year civil war that has claimed 270,000 lives and displaced more than half the population.
Advertisement
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the airstrikes hit the villages of Daret Azzeh and Qobtan al-Jabal in Aleppo province.
In addition to Isil, the truce does not include al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria -the Nusra Front – which is also considered a terrorist organisation by the United Nations.
But it has vowed to keep striking IS and Al-Nusra and other “terrorist groups”.
“There’s something odd in this silence”.
“Setbacks are inevitable”, the senior administration official said.
Fighting appears to have “calmed down”, although one incident is being investigated, and a special task force will meet Saturday to monitor the fledgling ceasefire, he told reporters in Geneva.
The cease-fire in Syria largely held for a second day, with Russian Federation and Saudi Arabia reporting limited violations while airstrikes continued against Islamic State militants not covered by the partial truce.
United Nations envoy Staffan de Mistura said peace talks would resume on March 7 if the ceasefire agreement holds and more aid is delivered – a key sticking point in negotiations for a truce.
“If it (the truce) holds, it will create the conditions for full, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access throughout Syria”, Federica Mogherini, the head of foreign policy for the European Union.
In a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the opposition also said violations would undermine “international efforts to guarantee the continuation of the truce and will lead to the collapse of the UN-adopted political process”.
The Nusra Front has operated for years alongside other factions in areas including Aleppo, raising concerns among other rebel groups that they could be caught up in attacks ostensibly targeting Nusra.
In Damascus, Syria’s SANA state news agency said that rebels in eastern districts had shelled residential areas, although there were no reports of casualties.
Aleppo city is now nearly completely encircled by pro-regime troops after a massive Russian-backed offensive that has caused tens of thousands to flee.
Since the truce began, however, locals have taken to the streets to enjoy the calm as children play in parks.
Islamic State forces also attacked the northern border city of Tal Abyad, which is under the control of U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters, according to various accounts.
IS militants stormed the Kurdish-controlled town on Saturday sparking clashes that killed at least 70 IS members, 20 Kurdish militiamen and two civilians, the Observatory said.
Syria’s state-run news agency reported some shelling by armed groups in Damascus during the day, according to The Associated Press, and rebel forces have alleged the Syrian government has breached the deal in some areas.
The complexities of a conflict which escalated from anti-government protests into a full-blown war drawing in rival world powers make brokering a lasting ceasefire a major challenge.
He said 74 opposition units including more than 6,100 fighters have agreed to adhere to the truce.
Advertisement
Neighbouring Israel, an arch-foe of Tehran, welcomed the ceasefire but warned it would not accept Iranian “aggression” or the supply of advanced weapons to Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militia supporting Assad. Moscow’s air onslaught in recent months has routed opposition formations and helped turn the tide of battle decisively in favor of the Syrian government.
