Reuters, Amman :
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Thursday his country would not accept less than an outright victory against rebels in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo and across the country, state media reported.
In a telegram sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin in which he thanked Moscow for its military support, said the army would not accept less than “attaining final victory” and “crushing the aggression” in its fight against rebels in Aleppo city and elsewhere in the country.
The Syrian army said on Wednesday it would abide by a “regime of calm” in the city of Aleppo following a U.S.-Russian agreement to extend as of Thursday a cessation of hostilities that had crumbled after nearly two weeks of violence between rebels and government forces that killed dozens.
Meanwhile, a 48-hour ceasefire took hold Thursday in Syria’s battered second city of Aleppo after President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and rebel forces gave in to mounting diplomatic pressure.
Relieved residents returned to the streets after two weeks of heavy fighting in the divided metropolis, a key battleground in Syria’s five-year civil war.
The Syrian army said late on Wednesday that it had agreed to calls from Russia and the United States for a two-day truce in Aleppo that would begin from 1:00 am on Thursday.
The agreement followed an intense diplomatic push by Moscow and Washington-the co-sponsors of a February 27 ceasefire agreement that had begun to fall apart-to salvage peace efforts.
Renewed fighting in recent days, especially in and around Aleppo, had threatened the full collapse of the ceasefire, a landmark in attempts to finally resolve a conflict that has left more than 270,000 dead.
More than 280 civilians were reported killed since April 22 in the clashes in Aleppo, with regime air strikes pounding the opposition-held east while rebels fired a barrage of rockets into the government-controlled west.
Early on Thursday, an AFP correspondent in the city said there had been no signs of fresh air raids since the ceasefire took effect.
As residents emerged, shopkeepers were reopening their doors while fruit and vegetable markets-one of which was struck in an April 24 raid that left 12 dead-were again up and running.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, confirmed there had been no bombing in the city, though it said a civilian had died in a western district from rebel shelling that came minutes after the ceasefire took effect.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Thursday his country would not accept less than an outright victory against rebels in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo and across the country, state media reported.
In a telegram sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin in which he thanked Moscow for its military support, said the army would not accept less than “attaining final victory” and “crushing the aggression” in its fight against rebels in Aleppo city and elsewhere in the country.
The Syrian army said on Wednesday it would abide by a “regime of calm” in the city of Aleppo following a U.S.-Russian agreement to extend as of Thursday a cessation of hostilities that had crumbled after nearly two weeks of violence between rebels and government forces that killed dozens.
Meanwhile, a 48-hour ceasefire took hold Thursday in Syria’s battered second city of Aleppo after President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and rebel forces gave in to mounting diplomatic pressure.
Relieved residents returned to the streets after two weeks of heavy fighting in the divided metropolis, a key battleground in Syria’s five-year civil war.
The Syrian army said late on Wednesday that it had agreed to calls from Russia and the United States for a two-day truce in Aleppo that would begin from 1:00 am on Thursday.
The agreement followed an intense diplomatic push by Moscow and Washington-the co-sponsors of a February 27 ceasefire agreement that had begun to fall apart-to salvage peace efforts.
Renewed fighting in recent days, especially in and around Aleppo, had threatened the full collapse of the ceasefire, a landmark in attempts to finally resolve a conflict that has left more than 270,000 dead.
More than 280 civilians were reported killed since April 22 in the clashes in Aleppo, with regime air strikes pounding the opposition-held east while rebels fired a barrage of rockets into the government-controlled west.
Early on Thursday, an AFP correspondent in the city said there had been no signs of fresh air raids since the ceasefire took effect.
As residents emerged, shopkeepers were reopening their doors while fruit and vegetable markets-one of which was struck in an April 24 raid that left 12 dead-were again up and running.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, confirmed there had been no bombing in the city, though it said a civilian had died in a western district from rebel shelling that came minutes after the ceasefire took effect.
