Syria’s military on Monday declared that the week-long U.S.-Russian brokered cease-fire was over as the government and opposition traded accusations over mounting violations.
The U.S. said it’s prepared to extend the fractured truce, and Russia – after blaming rebels for the violations – suggested it could still be salvaged.
It was unclear Monday evening whether the agreement – which has brought a brief respite to the war-torn country – would truly collapse on the ground. Residents of opposition-run eastern Aleppo reported new airstrikes Monday night in their besieged areas.
There were no immediate reports of casualties. The government also said it repelled an insurgent attack on areas it controls south of Aleppo.
In the wake of the Syrian military declaration, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry expressed annoyance at Damascus and Moscow’s handling of the cease-fire.
“It would be good if they didn’t talk first to the press but if they talked to the people who are actually negotiating this,” he said. “As I said yesterday, (it’s) time to end the grandstanding and time to do the real work of delivering on the humanitarian goods that are necessary for access.”
But Kerry also acknowledged that the first stage of the truce – which called for a week of calm and the delivery of humanitarian aid to several besieged communities – had never really come to fruition.
Earlier in the day, Kerry told reporters on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly that the truce was “holding but fragile.”