A deadline to end the violence looms over Syria, with another ceasefire due to take effect at sundown on Monday. The country has faced an apparent intensification of airstrikes in the last 48 hours, a seemingly deliberate attempt by those on the ground to send a message of strength, CNN said.
Will this agreement be a pivotal moment in the Syrian civil war or simply another brief hiatus in the death and destruction? Five questions about the latest truce:
The United States and Russia brokered a pact to pause the violence on Friday after months of back and forth. US Secretary of State John Kerry, who negotiated the ceasefire along with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, said the deal would stop Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s air force from flying combat missions anywhere the opposition is present.
“That should put an end to the barrel bombs, an end to the indiscriminate bombing of civilian neighbourhoods,” Kerry said.
The ceasefire will also allow for much-needed humanitarian access to besieged cities like Aleppo.
If the accords hold for seven days, Russia and the US will begin to discuss military options for targeting one-time al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat Fateh Al-Sham, previously known as the al Nusra Front, and ISIS.