Syria’s fledgling ceasefire was violated more than 30 times in the first 24 hours of its coming into force, two opposition groups said.
Leaders of the two groups, the Syrian National Coalition and Syria’s High Negotiations Committee, made the claim as they met Friday to praise Turkey for its efforts in negotiating the truce, according to the Syrian National Coalition’s media office.
Syria and Russia have not commented on the purported violations via their respective state-run media outlets.
The nationwide ceasefire, brokered by Turkey and Russia, began early Friday.
So far, reports of violations and skirmishes have not threatened the fragile peace initiative, upon which talks between the opposition and the regime are to be held in Astana, Kazakhstan, in the New Year.
The UN Security Council is expected to vote Saturday on a Russian-sponsored resolution backing the ceasefire arrangement in Syria, as well as supporting the ensuing peace process with Russia and Turkey as guarantors.
The latest effort comes after previous ceasefire attempts by the international community crumbled.
A successful nationwide ceasefire hinges on many fighting factions laying down arms. Groups from Iraq, Iran and Lebanon also are fighting alongside the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The ceasefire explicitly excludes factions deemed by the United Nations Security Council to be “terrorists.”
This rules out the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, the former al Qaeda affiliate in Syria that used to be known as Jabhat al-Nusra.
It also follows several ceasefire agreements brokered by Turkey and Russia in the city of Aleppo this month. Most were broken, but one held long enough to allow the evacuations of tens of thousands of rebels and civilians from eastern Aleppo.
Eastern Aleppo had been under rebel control for four years and had been choked off by the Syrian regime, leading to shortages of food and supplies for civilians.
The Syrian regime then gained full control of Aleppo, a major turning point that has limited the opposition’s military and political options.