The deal’s fragility was underscored even before it took effect when Syrian regime leader Bashar al-Assad vowed to retake all of Syria from “terrorists” in a state televised interview.
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“One should not allow their expected provocative actions to derail a chance for a turn to a political resolution of the Syrian crisis”.
A crucial part of the deal calls for rebels to distance themselves from the jihadist Fateh al-Sham Front – previously known as Al-Nusra Front – before joint US-Russian operations begin. “But that will be on strikes that are agreed upon with Russian Federation and the United States in order to go after them”. “We really hope that the ceasefire will succeed”.
Kerry says there has been a reduction in violence since the truce began at sundown on Monday in Syria.
A new ceasefire in Syria brokered by the US and Russian Federation appeared to be holding today, despite near-immediate violations when it took effect the night before, and fresh flareups along the country’s border with Israel.
Cavusoglu stressed that Turkey will work to bring peace to Syria, but will also continue fighting the Islamic State group and Syrian Kurdish rebels it sees as a threat. Mortar fire has also hit residential areas in the district of al-Ansari while positions of the Syrian military in the same district were targeted by guided anti-tank missiles, according to the Russian military.
Syrian state news agency SANA said rebels fired three shells at a government-held neighborhood in Aleppo.
Activists say Syrian government forces and their allies are bombing opposition areas in the country’s north, just hours ahead of the start of a USA – and Russia-brokered cease-fire.
The rebels say the deal benefits Assad, whose military position has improved since the last truce brokered by Washington and Moscow collapsed earlier this year. A major reason for that was diplomatic deadlock between President Bashar al-Assad’s ally, Russia, and the U.S., which demanded his immediate departure from office.
But the new agreement – like the one that failed earlier this year – contains no penalties for violations, which enhances the advantage of the Syrian government and its Russian allies because they are the only ones on the battlefield capable of carrying out airstrikes against their opponents.
Lavrov said Moscow “has nothing to hide” and wants the U.N. Security Council to formally approve the Syria truce deal as well. The rest include rebels, foreign fighters, Hezbollah militants, defectors from the Syrian army and others.
Hours before the deal went into effect, Assad reiterated his determination to reconquer all of Syria from what he termed “terrorists”, signaling that he has no plans to stop fighting to crush the five-year-old rebellion against his regime.
These types of violations are not uncommon, and it’s not necessarily a measure of success in a ceasefire – the world usually hopes that these brief respites in violence can help those in areas like Aleppo get the humanitarian aid they so desperately need.
Ahmad al-Masalmeh, an opposition activist in the contested city of Daraa, said calm had prevailed over the city since 4 p.m., but observers elsewhere in the country reported fighting all the way up to and after the start of the cease-fire.
Russian Federation is pushing to make public the text of the cease-fire deal, but Lavrov told reporters on Tuesday that the US opposes such a move.
Turkey launched an incursion into northern Syria in late August, driving IS away from the border and also seeking to counter the advance of USA -backed Kurdish forces, which Ankara views with suspicion.
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The UN got the regime’s approval on September 6 to deliver aid to almost one million people this month, including to the rebel held eastern part of Aleppo, which has been encircled by government forces.
