Syrian and Rebel Troops observe Ceasefire on Eid

Syria's army and main rebel force had observed peace truce on eid; a peace
initiative by UN and Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi calls on both sides to observe a truce during the four-day Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha marking the end of the annual hajj pilgrimage.
"(The military) reserves the right to respond to continuing attacks on civilians and government forces by armed groups," the army said as it announced the ceasefire.

And the Free Syrian Army (FSA), the chief among many rebel groups battling President Bashar al-Assad's forces, said it too would lay down its weapons as long as regime troops adhere to the ceasefire.

"We will respect the ceasefire from tomorrow morning if the Syrian army does the same," General Mustafa al-Sheikh said from Turkey. "But if they fire a single shot, we will respond with 100."

If it holds, a ceasefire would mark the first real breakthrough in halting - even temporarily - the 19-month conflict that rights groups say has killed more than 35,000 people.

A ceasefire announced by Brahimi's predecessor, former UN secretary general Kofi Annan, in April failed to take hold. Shortly before yesterday's announcements, there were no signs of a slowdown in the fighting, with rebels moving into a strategically important Kurdish neighbourhood in the main battleground city of Aleppo.
Residents in Aleppo's Ashrafiyeh district - a key area in the heights of the commercial capital - said about 200 rebels had moved in to the area for the first time. Other rebel groups have refused to accept the proposal, including the Al-Nusra Front, an Islamist militant group that has claimed responsibility for several deadly suicide bombings against symbols of the Assad regime.

The US also voiced scepticism, with its envoy to the UN Susan Rice saying many would doubt the regime's word given its "record of broken promises". Washington also denied claims they were supplying Stinger missiles to Syrian rebel forces and appeared to question Russian assertions that the US-made surface-to-air missiles have made their way into the opposition's hands.

Stinger missiles could be used against Assad's warplanes and helicopters, which have bombed suburban areas where rebels are hiding.

"I certainly don't know of US providing any such missiles in that area," US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said.