Scores of people have died following a series of airstrikes in the Syrian cities of Aleppo and Idlib - hours after the US and Russia announced plans for a nationwide ceasefire to begin on Monday.

In Idlib, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 58 people were killed in a series of bombings, including one on a vegetable market, with 13 children among the dead.

Footage showed the corpses of a charred child and other victims being pulled mangled bodies from beneath rubble.

"The market was full of shoppers going to buy presents for their kids, they were all civilians," said Salem Idlibi, a civil

defence worker.

Rebel-held areas have also been attacked in Aleppo, which was hit from the air as fighting continued on the ground.

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At least 30 people died when barrel bombs were dropped from army helicopters in the east and further civilian deaths were reported elsewhere in the city and across the province.

Both sides appear to be trying to maximise gains before the cessation of hostilities begins at sundown on Monday, which is the start of the Muslim Eid al Adha holiday.

Kerry And Lavrov Declare Syria Ceasefire Plan

The Syrian government has told Moscow it is prepared to comply with the deal, and opposition forces have also said they will fulfil the peace plan's requirements if the government demonstrates it is serious about ending the bloodshed.

Syria's moderate Free Syrian Army said they saw little chance of the deal's success, with a spokesman for one of its brigades saying that Damascus and Moscow had not observed the last agreement so were unlikely to observe this one.

"We hope this will be the beginning of the end of the civilians' ordeal," Bassma Kodmani, a leading member of the opposition umbrella group, the High Negotiations Committee, said.

Peace Deal Struck For Syria

But Captain Abdul Salam Abdul Razak, a spokesman for the rebel Nour al-Din al Zinki Brigades, said the deal would only help the Syrian army to gather forces and send more Iranian-backed fighters into Aleppo.

Truces agreed in the past have collapsed after both sides failed to hold up their ends of the bargain.

If the planned cessation of hostilities holds for seven days, it will be followed by an unlikely military partnership between the US and Russia to target Islamic State and al Qaeda.

11 August: Aleppo - The Ongoing Humanitarian Crisis

"Going after Nusra is not a concession to anybody," US Secretary of State John Kerry said.

"It is profoundly in the interests of the United States to target al Qaeda, to target al Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, which is Nusra, an organisation that is opposed to a peaceful transition, an organisation that is an enemy of the legitimate opposition, an organisation that is currently plotting attacks beyond Syria's borders, including against the United States."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov added: "I want to stress that distinguishing between terrorists and moderate oppositions has been written as a priority into the document that we agreed today."

Turkey targeted Islamic State on Saturday, reportedly killing at least 20 militants as buildings and vehicles near the town of Tel el-Hawa were destroyed, according to reports.

Syrian Rebels Form 'New' Front

Washington has been tasked with persuading "moderate" rebels to break away from the Nusra Front and other extremist groups.

Mr Kerry said the deal the was a potential "turning point" in the long-running civil war which has killed as many as 500,000 people and displaced millions of others.

However, he warned the plan could be described as nothing more than an opportunity until it is successfully enforced.

Mr Lavrov said the deal would allow efficient co-operation in the struggle against terrorism, and expand humanitarian access to Syria's worst-hit towns and cities.

Turkey, which made a major military incursion into the north of Syria two weeks ago, said it was preparing aid for Aleppo once the truce was in place.

UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson welcomed the plan, adding a call for "all parties to the Syria conflict and all countries with influence upon them to do what is needed to end violence and lift sieges".</s>Story highlights Eyewitness: "The jets arrived over Idlib and we heard three explosions"

At least 28 children are among the dead

The US and Russia agreed to a ceasefire plan that starts Monday

(CNN) At least 90 people were killed in airstrikes that rained down on northwestern Syria on Saturday and Sunday, a rights group said. The surge in violence came just hours after the US and Russia announced a new ceasefire plan.

The airstrikes landed in the rebel-held areas of Idlib in the northwest and Aleppo in the north of the country, according to the monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The worst strikes were in Idlib, where at least 61 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in an attack that targeted a crowded market, an activist who witnessed the bombing and its aftermath told CNN.

The activist, who asked to be identified as Omar for security reasons, said he was in Idlib to cover the atmosphere a day ahead of the Eid al-Adha holiday. Omar took a detour to the city since the roads near the markets were closed as a security precaution, and that probably saved his life, he said.

"We heard a whistling sound then the explosions," Omar said. The jets arrived around 12:30 p.m. local time, he said. "Two or three rockets landed in middle of the market. We left the car where we were and headed towards the site of explosion."

Read More</s>(IraqiNews.com) Baghdad – At least 90 persons were killed in airstrikes on the rebel-held areas of Idlib and Aleppo in Syria on Saturday and Sunday, hours after the US and Russia announced a new ceasefire plan.

An activist who witnessed the bombing and its aftermath revealed, “The worst strikes were in Idlib, where at least 61 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in an attack that targeted a crowded market,” adding that, “We heard a whistling sound then the explosions, and the jets arrived around 12:30 p.m. local time.”

“Two or three rockets landed in middle of the market. We carried 30 people dead from the ground and transferred some other 40 injured,” he said.

The activist added, “Those injured, they were clear and visible on the ground and not hidden behind cars or inside rubble, then we carried them and started taking them to field hospitals. This is when the civil defense rescue teams started arriving and carrying and helping the injured as well the ones trapped under the rubble.”

The airstrikes came just days before a ceasefire that is scheduled to go into effect on Monday.</s>Its initial aims include allowing humanitarian access and joint targeting of jihadist groups

A nationwide ceasefire brokered by the United States and Russia came into effect in Syria on Monday evening, the second attempt this year by Washington and Moscow to halt the five-year-old civil war.

The Syrian army, announced the truce at 7 pm (1600 GMT), the moment it took effect, saying the seven-day “regime of calm” would be applied across Syria. It reserved the right to respond with all forms of fire-power to any violation by “armed groups”.

Rebel groups fighting to topple President Bashar Al-Assad did not immediately declare publicly whether they would respect the ceasefire, but rebel sources said they would do so, despite reservations about a deal they see as skewed in Mr. Assad’s favour.

A rebel commander in northern Syria said there was “cautious calm” at the start of the ceasefire.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, said calm prevailed on most front-lines after the ceasefire took effect. Russia is a major backer of Mr. Assad, while the United States supports some of the rebel groups fighting to topple him.

The agreement’s initial aims include allowing humanitarian access and joint U.S.-Russian targeting of jihadist groups, which are not covered by the agreement.

The agreement comes at a time when Assad's position on the battlefield is stronger than it has been since the earliest months of the war, thanks to Russian and Iranian military support. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been killed in the conflict and 11 million made homeless in the world's worst refugee crisis.

Hours before the truce took effect, an emboldened Assad vowed to take back all of Syria. In a gesture loaded with symbolism, state television showed him visiting Daraya, a Damascus suburb long held by rebels but recaptured last month after fighters surrendered in the face of a crushing siege.

“The Syrian state is determined to recover every area from the terrorists,” Mr. Assad said in an interview broadcast by state media, flanked by his delegation at an otherwise deserted road junction.

Earlier he performed Muslim holiday prayers alongside other officials in a bare hall in a Daraya mosque. He made no mention of the ceasefire agreement, but said the army would continue its work “without hesitation, regardless of any internal or external circumstances”.

The ceasefire deal is backed by foreign countries ranging from Mr. Assad’s ally Iran to Turkey, one of the main supporters of groups fighting to overthrow him.

But maintaining the ceasefire means overcoming big challenges, including separating nationalist rebels who would be protected under it from jihadist fighters who are excluded.

The rebels say the deal benefits Mr. Assad, who took advantage of the aftermath of the last failed truce hammered out by Washington and Moscow in February to improve his forces’ position on the battlefield.

The capture of Daraya, a few kilometres from Damascus, has helped the government secure important areas to the southwest of the capital near an air base. The army has also completely encircled the rebel-held half of Aleppo, Syria's largest city before the war, which has been divided into government and opposition-held zones for years.

In the hours before the ceasefire took effect, fighting raged on several key front-lines, including Aleppo and the southern province of Quneitra.

Under the agreement, Russian-backed government forces and opposition groups are expected to halt fighting for a while as a confidence building measure. Opposition fighters are expected to separate from militant groups in areas such as Aleppo. — Reuters</s>BEIRUT (Reuters) - A nationwide ceasefire brokered by the United States and Russia came into effect in Syria on Monday evening, the second attempt this year by Washington and Moscow to halt the five-year-old civil war.

The Syrian army, announced the truce at 7 pm (1600 GMT), the moment it took effect, saying the seven-day "regime of calm" would be applied across Syria. It reserved the right to respond with all forms of firepower to any violation by "armed groups".

Rebel groups fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad had decided to respect the ceasefire, while expressing their deep reservations about the overall agreement, said Zakaria Malahifji of the Aleppo-based rebel faction Fastaqim.

"Regarding a truce, a ceasefire, the delivery of aid, this is a moral question and there is no debate around this, we absolutely welcome this, but there are other articles around which there are reservations," he told Reuters.

Combatant sources on both sides said calm was prevailing in the first hours of the ceasefire. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, shared that assessment.

Russia is a major backer of Assad, while the United States supports some of the rebel groups fighting to topple him.

The agreement's initial aims include allowing humanitarian access and joint U.S.-Russian targeting of jihadist groups, which are not covered by the agreement.

Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement that aid to the besieged city of Aleppo would start immediately.

The agreement comes at a time when Assad's position on the battlefield is stronger than it has been since the earliest months of the war, thanks to Russian and Iranian military support. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been killed in the conflict and 11 million made homeless in the world's worst refugee crisis.

Hours before the truce took effect, an emboldened Assad vowed to take back all of Syria. In a gesture loaded with symbolism, state television showed him visiting Daraya, a Damascus suburb long held by rebels but recaptured last month after fighters surrendered in the face of a crushing siege.

"The Syrian state is determined to recover every area from the terrorists," Assad said in an interview broadcast by state media. Earlier he performed Muslim holiday prayers alongside other officials in a bare hall in a Daraya mosque.

He made no mention of the ceasefire agreement, but said the army would continue its work "without hesitation, regardless of any internal or external circumstances".

The ceasefire is the boldest expression yet of hope by the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama that it can work with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war. All previous diplomatic initiatives have collapsed in failure.

The Obama administration opposes Assad but wants to shift the focus of fighting from the multi-sided civil war between Assad and his many foes to a campaign against Islamic State, an ultra-hardline jihadist group that controls swathes of Syria and neighbouring Iraq.

The ceasefire deal is backed by foreign countries ranging from Assad's ally Iran to Turkey, one of the main supporters of groups fighting to overthrow him.

But maintaining the ceasefire means overcoming big challenges, including separating nationalist rebels who would be protected under it from jihadist fighters who are excluded.

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.

The capture of Daraya, a few kilometres from Damascus, has helped the government secure important areas to the southwest of the capital near an air base. The army has also completely encircled the rebel-held half of Aleppo, Syria's largest city before the war, which has been divided into government and opposition-held zones for years.

In the hours before the ceasefire took effect, fighting raged on several key frontlines, including Aleppo and the southern province of Quneitra. The Observatory said an air strike in rebel-held Idlib province killed at least 13 people.

Under the agreement, Russian-backed government forces and opposition groups are expected to halt fighting for a while as a confidence building measure. Opposition fighters are expected to separate from jihadist groups in areas such as Aleppo.

But distinguishing protected rebels from jihadists is difficult, particularly with regards to a group formerly called the Nusra Front, which was al Qaeda's Syria branch until it changed its name in July.

The group, which now calls itself Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, has been playing a vital role in the battle for Aleppo allied with other rebel factions. It remains excluded from the ceasefire, and other rebel groups say government forces or their allies can use its presence as an excuse to hit other targets.

Russia's foreign ministry said it was concerned that some opposition groups including the powerful Ahrar al-Sham, which fights in close coordination with Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, had refused to respect the ceasefire. However, a source in the opposition told Reuters that Ahrar al-Sham, would back the cessation of hostilities in an announcement later on Monday.

Washington has said the ceasefire includes agreement that the government will not fly combat missions in an agreed area on the pretext of hunting fighters from the former Nusra Front. However, the opposition says a loophole would allow the government to continue air strikes for up to nine days.

Nationalist rebel groups, including factions backed by Assad's foreign enemies, wrote to Washington on Sunday to express deep concerns.

The letter, seen by Reuters, said the ceasefire shared the flaw that doomed the previous truce: a lack of guarantees or monitoring mechanisms. It also said Jabhat Fateh al-Sham should be included, as the group had not carried out attacks outside Syria despite its previous ties to al Qaeda. Jabhat Fatah al-Sham said the deal aimed to weaken the "effective" anti-Assad forces, and to "bury" the revolution.</s>The attack targeted a market in the rebel-held city of Idlib, according to the monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Thirteen children and 13 women were among those killed as people shopped during the holiday Eid al-Adha. Tens of others were wounded.

The death toll is expected to rise, according to the monitoring group.

The ceasefire plan, announced Friday, calls for the Syrian government and the opposition to respect a nationwide ceasefire. It is scheduled to go into effect at sundown Monday.

The Syrian regime announced its support of the ceasefire deal Saturday, according to the state-run TV. Syrian men evacuate a victim from the rubble of a building following an airstrike on the rebel-held northwestern city of Idlib on September 10, 2016. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the accord would prevent President Bashar al-Assad's air force from flying combat missions anywhere the opposition is present, calling this provision the "bedrock of the agreement." He labeled the Syrian air force the "main driver of civilian casualties" and migrant flows. People search for victims at the scene of the airstrikes. In February, a cessation of hostilities negotiated between Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov fell apart within weeks, and efforts to reach a political settlement in the war-torn country have been on the verge of collapse.</s>BEIRUT, Lebanon -- A nationwide ceasefire brokered by the United States and Russia went into effect in Syria on Monday evening, the second attempt this year by Washington and Moscow to halt the five-year civil war.

The Syrian army, announced the truce at 7 p.m. local time, the moment it took effect, saying the seven-day "regime of calm" would be applied across Syria. It reserved the right to respond with all forms of firepower to any violation by "armed groups."

Rebel groups fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad issued a joint statement listing deep reservations with the agreement they described as unjust, echoing concerns outlined in a letter to the United States on Sunday. While the statement did not explicitly back the ceasefire, rebel sources said the groups were abiding by it.

"Regarding a truce, a ceasefire, the delivery of aid, this is a moral question and there is no debate around this, we absolutely welcome this, but there are other articles around which there are reservations," Zakaria Malahifji of an Aleppo-based rebel faction told Reuters.

Combatant sources on both sides said calm was prevailing in the first hours of the ceasefire. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, shared that assessment.

Russia is a major backer of Assad, while the United States supports some of the rebel groups fighting to topple him.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said early reports suggested there had been some reduction in violence.

He told reporters at the State Department that it was too early to draw a definitive conclusion about how effective the truce will be, and that there would no doubt be some reports of violations "here and there."

The agreement's initial aims include allowing humanitarian access and joint U.S.-Russian targeting of jihadist groups, which are not covered by the agreement.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that aid to the besieged city of Aleppo would start immediately.

Besher Hawi, a resident of opposition-held Aleppo, said the city had been calm since the ceasefire came into force, after a heavy day of bombardment.

"It's excellent but I certainly have no confidence in the regime. It could bomb at any moment," he told Reuters from Aleppo, speaking via a web-based messaging system.

The agreement comes at a time when Assad's position on the battlefield is stronger than it has been since the earliest months of the war, thanks to Russian and Iranian military support. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been killed in the conflict and 11 million made homeless in the world's worst refugee crisis.

Hours before the truce took effect, an emboldened Assad vowed to take back all of Syria. In a gesture loaded with symbolism, state television showed him visiting Daraya, a Damascus suburb long held by rebels but recaptured last month after fighters surrendered in the face of a crushing siege.

"The Syrian state is determined to recover every area from the terrorists," Assad said in an interview broadcast by state media. Earlier he performed Muslim holiday prayers alongside other officials in a bare hall in a Daraya mosque.

He made no mention of the ceasefire agreement, but said the army would continue its work "without hesitation, regardless of any internal or external circumstances."

The ceasefire is the boldest expression yet of hope by the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama that it can work with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war. All previous diplomatic initiatives have collapsed in failure.

The Obama administration opposes Assad but wants to shift the focus of fighting from the multi-sided civil war between Assad and his many foes to a campaign against Islamic State, an ultra-hardline jihadist group that controls swathes of Syria and neighboring Iraq.

The ceasefire deal is backed by foreign countries ranging from Assad's ally Iran to Turkey, one of the main supporters of groups fighting to overthrow him.</s>A ceasefire brokered by Russia and the United States took effect in Syria at sundown Monday, but there was deep scepticism over whether it would take hold.

The initial 48-hour truce entered into force at 7:00 pm local time (1600 GMT) across Syria except in areas held by jihadists like the Islamic State group.

Its fragility was underscored in the hours leading up to sundown, with opposition forces yet to formally sign on and President Bashar al-Assad vowing to retake the whole country from "terrorists".

The deal, announced Friday after marathon talks between Russia and the United States, has been billed as the best chance yet to halt the bloodshed in Syria's five-year civil war.

As well as bringing a temporary end to the fighting, it aims to provide crucial aid to hundreds of thousands of desperate civilians.

Just before the truce came into force, senior Russian military official Sergei Rudskoi said the ceasefire would cover all of Syria except "terrorist targets".

"Today from 1900 (local time) the cessation of hostilities is being resumed across all the territory of Syria," Rudskoi said at a briefing, adding that Russia would "continue to carry out strikes against terrorist targets."

Under the agreement, fighting will halt in areas not held by jihadists and aid deliveries to besieged areas will begin, with government and rebel forces ensuring unimpeded humanitarian access in particular to divided Aleppo city.

The ceasefire will be renewed every 48 hours and, if it holds for a week, Moscow and Washington will begin unprecedented joint targeting of jihadist forces.

World powers have thrown their weight behind this new deal after several rounds of peace efforts failed to end the conflict that has killed more than 290,000 people.

But Syria's opposition and rebels are deeply sceptical that Assad's regime will abide by the truce agreement, and demanded guarantees before endorsing a deal.

"We are asking for guarantees especially from the United States, which is a party to the agreement," Salem al-Muslet from the High Negotiations Committee, the main opposition umbrella group, told AFP Monday.

"We fear that Russia will classify all the Free Syrian Army (rebel factions) as terrorists," as it was unclear how the deal defined "terrorist groups", he said.

Rebel groups on Sunday sent a letter to the US saying they would "deal positively with the idea of the ceasefire" but listed several "concerns" and stopped short of a full endorsement.

"The clauses of the agreement that have been shared with us do not include any clear guarantees or monitoring mechanisms... or repercussions if there are truce violations," they said.

Ahmad al-Saoud, who heads the US-backed Division 13 rebel group which signed the letter, said they had received no response.

Just moments before the ceasefire came into force, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported that three people were killed in regime shelling in the rebel-held town of Douma near Damascus.

Questions remain about how the ceasefire will apply in parts of Syria where the jihadist Fateh al-Sham Front, previously known as Al-Nusra Front, is present.

A crucial part of the deal calls for rebels to distance themselves from the group before joint US-Russian operations against it begin.

But Fateh al-Sham cooperates closely with many of Syria's rebels, including the powerful Ahrar al-Sham faction, which on Sunday issued a scathing condemnation of the Russian-US deal.

In a message marking the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, Ahrar al-Sham's deputy leader Ali al-Omar said Syria's "people cannot accept half-solutions".

Russia's deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov told state-run news agency RIA Novosti that peace talks could resume within a month.

"I think that probably at the very beginning of October, (UN envoy Staffan) de Mistura should be inviting all parties" to talks, he said.

Syria's government and its allies including Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah movement have backed the truce.

But on Monday Assad made clear he was intent on recapturing all of Syria.

"The Syrian state is determined to recover every area from the terrorists," he said as he toured Daraya, a former rebel stronghold that surrendered last month after a four-year government siege.

"The armed forces are continuing their work, relentlessly and without hesitation, regardless of internal or external circumstances," he added.

The run-up to the truce has also seen a spike in violence, with at least 74 people killed in strikes on Aleppo and Idlib cities over the weekend.

Fresh raids hit Aleppo Monday, an AFP correspondent said, where residents have struggled to celebrate Eid amid shortages created by a renewed government siege.

Aleppo has been divided between rebels in the east and regime forces in the west since mid-2012.

In August, rebels broke a weeks-long regime siege of the east, but Assad loyalists restored the blockade on September 8.

"We hope there will be a ceasefire so that civilians can get a break," said east Aleppo resident Abu Abdullah. "Civilians have no hope any more."</s>A Syrian woman prays over the grave of her son at a cemetery in the rebel-held town of Douma on September 12, 2016 (AFP Photo/Sameer Al-Doumy)

Damascus (AFP) - An internationally backed ceasefire for Syria came into effect at sundown Monday as part of a hard-fought deal to bring an end to the war between rebels and regime fighters.

The truce, brokered by the United States and Russia, entered into force at 7:00 pm local time (1600 GMT) across Syria except in jihadist-held areas.

While the Syrian government and its allies have signed on to the deal, opposition forces have yet to formally respond.
Before a ceasefire takes effect tomorrow, over 100 people have been killed and over 100 injured in airstrikes on rebel-held Idlib.