The fighting and mutual accusations of violations sparked concern that the fragile cease-fire, which brought some relief to millions of people across the war-ravaged country, may be starting to fray.
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In a further sign of tensions picking up, the Obama administration warned Russian Federation that potential military cooperation in Syria will not happen unless humanitarian aid begins to flow into Aleppo and other besieged communities.
The Kremlin also said it was using its influence to try to ensure the Syrian army fully implemented the ceasefire agreement and that it hoped the U.S. would use its own influence with rebel groups too.
The move comes as clashes were reported between government forces and rebels, violating the ceasefire which came into effect on Monday.
The Russian military said it has complained to the U.S.at a joint working group in Geneva about the opposition’s failure to pull back in sync with the Syrian army, but received no immediate response.
The Russian military has accused the Syrian opposition of using the truce to regroup and strengthen its forces.
Some within the Pentagon have expressed deep reservations about the agreement, brokered between Secretary of State John Kerry with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, forcing Mr Obama to referee disputes.
Lavrov also told Kerry that the list of Syrian opposition groups the United States provided to Russian Federation for inclusion in the ceasefire contained “blatantly terrorist formations” that have cooperated closely with the Nusra Front terror group.
Sustained delivery of humanitarian aid, along with a decrease in violence, is a requirement for that cooperation under an agreement Kerry and Lavrov reached last week.
The UN Security Council on Friday (Sept 16) cancelled an urgent meeting on Syria over disagreements between Russian Federation and the United States over disclosing details of a ceasefire deal.
The council is set to hold closed consultations later on Friday.
The US says it is inadvisable to release the wording, but the French government argues it would be impossible for the United Nations security council to endorse the deal without knowing its details.
“As of the third day (of the truce), only the Syrian army is observing the regime of silence”, he said.
Russian Federation on Friday said the Syrian army had initially withdrawn but returned to its positions after being fired on by rebels, who in turn say they saw no sign of government forces ever leaving their positions.
The UN Security Council, meanwhile, was to meet later to discuss whether to endorse the truce, billed as the “last chance” to end the five-year war.
She said the United Nations is ready and that “it’s for all the parties to see that the needs of the Syrian people are great”.
Hours-long fighting and shelling erupted in neighborhoods on the edges of Damascus on Friday, with activists and residents calling the clashes the heaviest in the Syrian capital in weeks.
Almost two dozen rockets and grenades were fired near Jobar neighbourhood on the eastern outskirts of Damascus, the observatory said, adding that two shells fell in the Old City, controlled by the government.
All three were in rebel-held areas: two were children, and two killed by government sniper fire, the group said.
Faylaq al-Rahman, an Islamic rebel militia, said in a message on its Twitter account there were heavy battles in Jobar and that its fighters have inflicted casualties among the regime forces.
SANA accused the insurgents of launching the attack, triggering retaliation by government forces.
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Moscow is using its influence on the Syrian government to make sure the cease-fire holds and wants the United States to do the same with regards to opposition groups.
US State Department spokesman Mark Toner on Wednesday acknowledged problems but said, “We’ve seen violations by both sides”.
But early Friday, the trucks were still waiting at the border with Turkey, said David Swanson, a spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
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Forty trucks carrying food for 80,000 people waited at the Turkish border to go to Aleppo about 70 kilometres (44 miles) away, said Swanson.
