Photo Credit: Sameer Al-Doumy/AFP via Getty Images The plan, details of which will still be worked out over the next several weeks, went into effect at midnight Friday.
The United States and Russian Federation will resume an airspace deconfliction agreement aimed at avoiding mid-air collisions, Reuters reported Saturday. Opposition delegates also said they would not recognise Iran as a guarantor of any ceasefire plan.
Russia's deputy defense minister said on May 5 that the implementation of the memorandum on de-escalation zones would put an end to the war.
The claims of various Arabic media outlets came after the Astana meeting this week where Turkey, Russia and Iran agreed to establish de-escalation zones covering the city of Idlib and certain parts of Latakia, Homs, Aleppo and Hama as well as Damascus, Eastern Ghouta, Daraa and Quneitra.
Fighting between Syrian rebel and government forces eased on Saturday as a Russian-led effort to shore up a ceasefire took effect, although battles continued on important frontlines near Hama and Damascus, rebels and a war monitor said.
The government supported the de-escalation plan, but said it would continue to fight what it termed terrorist groups.
Russian Federation and Iran - two of the plan's three sponsors - are key allies of President Bashar Assad's government and both are viewed as foreign occupation forces by his opponents.
Political and armed opposition groups in Syria have rejected the proposal, saying Russian Federation has been unwilling or unable to get Assad and his Iranian-backed militia allies to respect past cease-fires.
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Turkey, the third sponsor, is a major backer of opposition factions and has also sent troops into northern Syria, drawing the ire of Assad and his government.
The de-escalation zones appear meant to halt conflict in specific areas between government forces and rebels, and would potentially be policed by foreign troops. There was no immediate comment from the Syrian army.
The guarantors will finalize maps of the de-escalation zones by June 4, and the agreement can be extended automatically if the three guarantor states agree.
Still, opposition activists in southern, central, and northern Syria said the situation so far is better than previous days, with no air strikes reported.
A rebel commander in northern Hama said almost an hour after the deal went into effect, battles raged with government forces.
Mohammed Rasheed, a spokesman for the Jaish al-Nasr rebel group based in Hama, confirmed that fighting had broken out after midnight.
The skies were quiet over Idlib province, AFP's correspondent there said Saturday afternoon, but residents were anxious that the evening would bring renewed bombardment.
According to the telegram, "the Turkish forces will temporarily deploy inside the border villages with armored vehicles and infantry forces as a first step" as the areas will be free of any presence of Syria or Russian warplanes.
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