The cease-fire in Syrian began at midnight Friday and has brought a notable reduction in hostilities for the first time in the five-year war that has killed more than 250,000 people, displaced half of Syria’s population and flooded Europe with refugees.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (left) is pictured answering questions during an interview with German public broadcaster ARD in the Syrian capital Damascus yesterday. Despite each side accusing the other of violating the ceasefire in areas it has for the most part held. “As I said, we give them full amnesty”.
“The most important thing for me, legally and constitutionally…”
‘This is the only thing that we ask, ‘ he said. “We don’t ask for anything”.
“We are delaying it to the afternoon of the 9th for logistical and technical reasons and also for the ceasefire to better settle down”, de Mistura said.
The agreement does not include Islamic State and the Nusra Front, and Assad and his Russian backers have made clear they intend to keep attacking the jihadist groups.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordination Committees said government forces shelled rebel-held parts of the city.
By exchanging target information with the U.S., Moscow also hopes to deflect Washington’s criticism that it was striking moderate opposition groups instead of its declared target, the Islamic State. “There are much fewer airplanes, which is very good…”
“People still have the same routine – they still go down to the shelters when they hear the planes”.
“They agreed on the importance of urgently moving forward simultaneously on implementing the cessation of hostilities agreement, providing vital humanitarian assistance to civilians, and returning to political negotiations”, the statement said.
But the opposition says the regime is responsible for “repeated violations” of the partial truce.
Yesterday, Russia said it had recorded 15 ceasefire violations in the past 24 hours across Syria, mostly in Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, and Latakia along the coast.
RIA Novosti said the ministry reported the journalists were injured in the village of Kinsibba by shelling coming from the town of Bidama and elsewhere along Syria’s border with Turkey.
Russian Federation called on Tuesday for the Syrian-Turkish border to be closed, saying arms were being hidden in humanitarian aid convoys and channeled to fighters of Islamic State and its allies.
On Sunday Israel’s prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, welcomed the Syria truce efforts but said his country might still carry out attacks in the neighbouring Arab state to thwart any threats to its security.
The recent push by Assad’s forces – backed by Russian air cover and Iran-backed Shi’ite militias – to cut off rebel supply lines from Turkey into Aleppo has resulted in some of the most significant battlefield gains for the regime since the Syrian civil war war erupted in 2011.