Relative calm prevailed on Thursday in Aleppo city in Syria following a U.S.-Russian agreement to extend a cessation of hostilities that had crumbled after nearly two weeks of violence between rebels and government forces that killed dozens.
Syrian state media said that the army would abide by a “regime of calm” in the city that came into effect at 1 a.m. (2200 GMT on Wednesday) for 48 hours.
But the army again blamed Islamist insurgents for violating the agreement overnight by what it called indiscriminate shelling of some government-held residential areas of the divided city.
President Bashar al-Assad said on Thursday that his country would not accept less than an outright victory against rebels in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo and across Syria, state media reported.
In a telegram sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin in which he thanked Moscow for its military support, Assad said the army would not accept less than “attaining final victory” and “crushing the aggression” in its fight against the rebels.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least one person was killed in rebel shelling overnight of the Midan neighborhood on the government side of the city. State media said rockets hit the New Aleppo district.
A resident contacted in the rebel-held eastern part of the city said although warplanes were flying overnight, there were none of the intense raids seen during more than 10 days of aerial bombing.
People in several districts ventured out onto the streets where more shops than normal had opened, the resident of al Shaar neighborhood said.