MOSCOW, March 26. /TASS/. The ceasefire in Syria has been violated nine times over the past 24 hours, the Russian center for reconciliation of opposing sides in Syria said in a statement posted on the Defense Ministry’s website on Saturday.
"The ceasefire agreement largely holds within the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic," the statement said. "Over the past 24 hours, nine violations have been registered (in the Aleppo province - 3, in the Damascus, Latakia and Homs provinces - two in each)."
In the Damascus province militants of unidentified armed unit opened fire from mortars on the settlements of Hteitet al-Jarash and Zibdin.
"Russia’s Aerospace Force and Syria’s Air Force have not been delivering strikes on opposition armed units that had announced the cessation of hostilities and reported their location to the Russian or U.S. reconciliation centers," the center said in the statement.
Russia’s Aerospace Force strikes
Russia’s Aerospace Force has carried out 40 sorties in the area near Palmyra in Syria’s Homs province over the past 24 hours, the Russian center for reconciliations of opposing sides in Syria said on Saturday in a statement posted on the Defense Ministry’s website.
"Strikes have been delivered on 158 facilities of terrorists, resulting in destruction of 100 militants, four tanks, three artillery pieces, four ammunition depots and five vehicles," the center said.
The ceasefire has been effective in Syria since February 27. It does not apply to the groups Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra (both outlawed in Russia), and also to other groups declared as terrorist by the UN Security Council.
The Russian Defense Ministry declared the establishment of the reconciliation center on February 23. It is headquartered at the Hmeimim air base, Latakia province. The center was set up in line with agreements reached by Russia and the United States to facilitate the negotiations between the Syrian government and opposition and to organize humanitarian deliveries.