Russian center: Terrorist organizations committed serious breaches of cessation of hostilities

Lattakia – The Russian coordination center at Hmeimim Airbase in Lattakia affirmed that terrorist organizations have committed serious breaches of the cessation of hostilities during the past few days, SANA reported.

In a statement issued on Saturday evening, the center said that a number of armed groups, including some that label themselves as “moderate opposition,” have attack Syrian Arab Army positions.

The center said that Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organizations carried out artillery shelling that last for half an hour on Syrian Army positions in the areas of al-Eiss, Abu Rwail, and Khan Touman in Aleppo province, which forced the army units to leave al-Eiss and move to the north, as the army has orders not to retaliate to provocations.

The center went on to say that “Ahrar al-Cham Islamic Movement” group fired rocket shells on al-Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood in Aleppo, killing one member of the Kurdish protection units and injuring two civilians, while 3 shells fired by the same group on Handarat area in Aleppo countryside injured two civilians.

The center said that it marked an escalation in tensions during the past two weeks, with 12 people being killed and 21 others being injured in attacks by armed groups during that timeframe.

The statement also warned that Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organization has taken control of various groups that had previously been classified as “opposition” to south and west of Aleppo, noting that the center has repeatedly informed the US of this development.

Up until Friday, the center has documented 347 breaches of the cessation of hostilities agreement by armed groups, most of which took place in Aleppo, Damascus, Damascus Countryside, Homs, and Lattakia.