Russian Airstrikes killed at least 50 people in rebel-held areas of Idlib and Aleppo on Saturday, just hours after Russia and the US announced a ceasefire deal intended to put a stop to more than five years of fighting.
The United States and Russia hailed a breakthrough deal on Saturday to put Syria’s peace process back on track, including a nationwide ceasefire effective from sundown on Monday.
Fighter jets believed to be Russian hit a crowded market in Idlib province on Saturday afternoon, killing at least 30 people, according to an Al Jazeera reporter at the scene.
“A Russian warplane targeted a residential area and a market in Idlib,” Al Jazeera’s Adham Abu al-Husam said, as civil defence forces, firemen and paramedics worked to pull survivors from the rubble.
“The marketplace was full of civilians shopping for the upcoming Eid holiday.”
Separate air strikes on rebel-held neighbourhoods of Aleppo city and the surrounding countryside killed at least 20 people, according to local rescue workers, and 10 people were killed by rebel shelling on the government-controlled neighbourhood of Salahuddin.
A member of the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) said the opposition umbrella group cautiously welcomed the agreement, but said it required “effective enforcement mechanisms” if any truce deal is to “credible”.
“We welcome the deal if it is going to be enforced.”
“A violation by the regime should be met with a perhaps military response. That is what makes it credible, really,” said Bassma Kodmani.
And #Syriaceasefire too late for 20 reportedly killed in Russia airstrike on #Idlib market place just now pic.twitter.com/ru6MiTz5ah
— Sophie McNeill (@Sophiemcneill) September 10, 2016
Air strikes in #Idlib kill at least 24 Syrians https://t.co/vImu9SfNxs pic.twitter.com/RUH6eKEXru
— TRT World (@trtworld) September 10, 2016
Market day #idlib #Hell pic.twitter.com/BCidDeq3mN
— bonnie kipperman (@bonniekipperman) September 10, 2016
The teams @SyriaCivilDef are still working to bring out the trapped under the rubble, fire fighting in #Idlib pic.twitter.com/UZamANaIzl
— Majd khalaf (@majdkhlafa19931) September 10, 2016
Russian agreement after the US bombed the regime gave the markets in #Syria #Idlib @SyriaCivilDef #whitehelmets pic.twitter.com/1A0XwS2PIg
— Majd khalaf (@majdkhlafa19931) September 10, 2016
#Syria: pictures from the market of #Idlib today after it was struck by warplanes of the regimr pic.twitter.com/tNoexjzvhH
— Thomas van Linge (@arabthomness) September 10, 2016
#Syria Airstrikes hit market in #Idlib city pic.twitter.com/o2mrLvotZc
— Mark (@markito0171) September 10, 2016
Read more: US and Russia reach a Syria’s ceasefire deal
Will the agreement work?
Both Kerry and Lavrov said the complex plan is the best available chance to end fighting between forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad and mainstream rebels while still targeting hardline fighters affiliated with the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front and ISIS.
“Today, the United States and Russia are announcing a plan which we hope will reduce violence, ease suffering and resume movement towards a negotiated peace and a political transition in Syria,” Kerry said.
Key to the deal is the delivery of desperately needed aid to civilians in rebel-held areas of Syria’s second city Aleppo, which are under siege by government forces.
Russia also needs to persuade the Syrian air force to stop strikes on rebel-held areas, which have killed large numbers of civilians.
In turn, Washington must get opposition groups it backs to separate themselves from the former Nusra Front, now called Fateh al-Sham Front, which has allied itself with a range of rebels at different points in the fluid conflict.
Kodmani said the rebels would break ranks with “extremist groups”, if the truce deal held.
“The moderate groups will reorganise and distance themselves from the radical groups. We will do our part,” she said.
“The armed opposition in Syria now faces what is perhaps its biggest and most momentous decision since they chose to take up arms against the Assad regime in 2011,” said Charles Lister, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute think-tank.
Mainstream rebels appear reluctant to withdraw from frontlines where Jabhat Fateh al-Sham fighters are also present because of fears the ceasefire will fail, he said.
“For this reason alone, many opposition figures see the US-Russia talks and whatever comes from them as a conspiracy against their long and hard fought for revolution. It will be hard to change this mindset,” Lister added.
The Syrian crisis began as a peaceful demonstration against the injustice in Syria. Assad regime used to fire power and violence against the civilians and led to armed resistance. 450.000 Syrians lost their lives in the past five years according to UN estimates, and more than 12 million have lost their homes.
