The United Nations Security Council has canceled a meeting on the Syrian ceasefire due to disagreements between the U.S. and Russian Federation.
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The council will hold closed consultations later on Friday.
A USA official said the session was canceled because the Russians were trying to force the US make the cease-fire deal public and Washington would “not compromise operational security”.
Russian ambassador to the U.N. Vitaly Churkin said there was no point in briefing the council if the US did not want to say exactly what was in the deal.
The Britain-based war monitoring group also reported clashes between the army and rebels or shelling overnight in the capital’s Eastern Ghouta suburbs, in Ramousah south of Aleppo and in the southern province of Deraa.
SANA accused the insurgents of launching the attack, triggering retaliation by government forces.
Under the truce deal, fighting is to stop across the country except where ISIL and Jabhat Fatah al-Sham are present.
During the call, Kerry said the United States expects Russian Federation to use its influence on Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Lt. Gen. Viktor Poznikhir of the Russian military’s General Staff on Friday declared readiness to extend the U.S. -Russia-brokered cease-fire for another 72 hours, adding that Moscow expects Washington to take “resolute action” to end violations by the U.S. -backed opposition units. Clearly, there is a lack of unity within the United States administration…
He said Syrian troops were forced to return to those positions along Castello Road because they were being shelled by opposition groups. Russian President Vladimir Putin is a key ally to Syrian President Bashar al Assad.
The military says the projectile was intercepted Saturday, without elaborating. The truce has largely held, despite dozens of alleged violations by both sides.
Warplanes strafed or bombed rebel-held areas in the northwestern province of Idlib, as well as positions north of the city of Homs and east of the city of Hama overnight, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The new U.S. -Russia ceasefire deal in Syria reflects the changing situation on the ground in the war-torn state.
Kerem Kınık, the president of Turkish Red Crescent, said the organization had no confirmation that Castello road was safe for its convoy and that its trucks were waiting at the border.
Syrian state television broadcast images appearing to show bulldozers clearing the main road into rebel held neighborhoods of Aleppo in preparation for the aid convoys.
A building belonging to the Syrian Civil Defense, a rescue organization also known as the “White Helmets” was also hit in overnight air strikes, the group and the Observatory said. Once the seven-day ceasefire ends, the US military is set to begin intelligence sharing with Russian Federation on ISIS targets in the region.
As the rebels continue their discussions about whether to continue to observe the shaky cease-fire, some commanders say that US leverage on the factions is weaker than earlier this year because of the increasing reluctance of the U.S.to resupply rebel factions with arms and ammunition.
The state-run Anadolu news agency says three USA flags were hung on Thursday around a compound of the Democratic Union Party, or PYD, and were still visible from Turkey on Friday afternoon.
A video posted online on Friday appeared to show Syrian rebels threatening to slaughter USA troops after they moved into the town of al-Rai with Turkish troops ahead of an offensive against a nearby town controlled by IS. “They have to put pressure on the parties and not allow aid to be used as a bargaining chip”.
The UN has trucks fully loaded with food and supplies, ready to roll into areas where the aid is needed most.
Nour el-Din el-Zinki group says in statement Friday that their observation posts in the area are confirming that government forces are still on the Castello road.
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The State Department said delays in the assistance had been “repeated” and “unacceptable”.
