Islamist factions to conditionally accept Syria cease-fire

Rebel factions say they are still deliberating the agreement, which permits government forces to strike al-Qaida-linked militants for seven days before the US and Russian Federation would take over the task.

A critical part of the U.S. -Russia deal is an agreement that the two powers will go after the Nusra Front.

It said Turkey was already making preparations for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Turkey’s northern Aleppo province and would make efforts to “ensure the effective implementation” of the ceasefire.

The U.S. -Russia deal foresees a nationwide cease-fire starting Monday, followed a week later by a military partnership targeting the Islamic State and other militant groups as well as establishing new limits on President Bashar Assad’s forces.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said Sunday that Tehran, a key Assad supporter, also backed the agreement.

Italy says a Syrian cease-fire could pave the way for political negotiations aimed at ending the long and bloody conflict.

BEIRUT – Air strikes have killed dozens in rebel-held parts of Syria as the opposition considers whether to join a US-Russia truce deal due to take effect on Monday. It launched a military incursion into Syria last month to battle the Islamic State group and halt the advance of US -backed Kurdish forces, which it views with suspicion.

Washington has applauded Turkey’s actions against IS but is wary of its assault on the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia, which has been a U.S. ally in the fight against the extremists.

Idlib province has endured escalating strikes by Russian planes in recent months, according to worldwide aid workers and residents, destroying scores of hospitals, bakeries and other infrastructure across rebel-held territory.

Ahmad Primo, an opposition media activist in the contested city of Aleppo, says airstrikes on the city’s rebel-held eastern district “have not let up” since the morning.

US Secretary of State John Kerry called on all sides to respect the deal, which was finally reached after several failed attempts over recent weeks.

Syrian media reported that rebels opposed to the Assad government also launched their own offensive in the south of the country.

“A Russian warplane targeted a residential area and a market in Idlib”, Al Jazeera’s Adham Abu al-Husam said, as civil defence forces, firemen and paramedics worked to pull survivors from the rubble.

In the capital, Damascus, the government endorsed the deal, the state news agency Sana reported.

The Syrian regime announced its support of the ceasefire deal Saturday, according to the state-run TV.

The dead included 13 children and 13 women, according to the Observatory, which relies on a network of activists inside Syria.

Citing “informed sources”, it said “the entire agreement was reached with the knowledge of the Syrian government”.

The rebel groups writing to the United States said the exclusion of Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, which operates only inside Syria, while including Iran-backed foreign Shi’ite militias that operate across worldwide borders showed a double standard.

Hezbollah has sent thousands of fighters to Syria to back President Bashar Assad’s forces. Both Assad’s forces and rebels would halt attacks, while the USA and Russian Federation would join forces against the Islamic State group and al-Qaida-linked militants in Syria.

US and Russian officials announced the cease-fire early Saturday, saying they hoped it would facilitate humanitarian access to civilians.