A 48-hour ceasefire agreed between Syrian government and rebel forces went into effect before dawn Wednesday in three embattled towns: rebel-held Zabadani near the Lebanese border, and two Idlib provincial towns under army control, Fuaa and Kafraya.
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The truce was due to begin at 6am local time on Wednesday and negotiations would continue with the rebel group Ahrar al Sham leading negotiations on the insurgents’ side.
According to the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the cease-fire was agreed upon between the Lebanese-based group Hezbollah, which is supporting the Syrian government, and the Nusra Front-aligned group Ahrar al-Sham. Ahrar al-Sham said last week it was holding talks with an Iranian delegation over Zabadani.
Damaged buses are positioned atop a building as barricades to provide protection from snipers of the forces of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad in in the old city of Aleppo, Syria June 27, 2015. “Talks will talk about additional steps”.
Since early July, pro-Assad forces have launched repeated attacks on Zabadani, located some 45 kilometers northwest of capital Damascus. Iran and Russian Federation have continued to back Assad.
The strike on the northern village of Atmeh killed at least 18 people, including 10 fighters and eight civilians, the Observatory said.
“There has been an agreement for a 48-hour ceasefire in Zabadani and Fuaa and Kafraya”, said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. Any progress on Syria could be seen as a major example of what both foes have said might be wider diplomatic benefits.
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On the other hand, Turkey and Iran have been on opposite sides but haven’t had any real problems with one another, and with growing efforts, pushed primarily by Russian Federation, on a broad anti-ISIS alliance between rebels and the government, Turkey and Iran could serve as a unique bridge between the two sides in getting such efforts going in earnest. The Assad regime has lost ground in several areas in recent months, which Western officials believe should encourage Assad to negotiate.
