Syrian Truce Largely Holds on Day 2

Number of violations of newly brokered cease-fire ebbs after a fitful start on Monday evening.

Syria’s cease-fire appeared to take firmer hold on its first full day Tuesday, with the main opposition monitoring group reporting calm in major provinces.

The truce sponsored by the U.S. and Russia went into effect Monday evening, but there were accusations of violations by both rebels and the regime just a few hours into it. Both sides traded more such accusations on Tuesday, but the battlefields were noticeably quieter, according to residents and activists on the ground.

The difference was palpable in the northern city of Aleppo, the epicenter of the war for the past few months. In the rebel-held part of the city, where 300,000 people live under a government siege, an opposition activist said no regime or allied Russian warplanes were in the skies on Tuesday morning.

The new deal envisions a significant reduction of violence for one week, after which the U.S. and Russia would implement the next phase—establishing military cooperation and moving toward political negotiations.

The U.S. State Department said U.S. officials are monitoring fighting and humanitarian aid deliveries to determine whether the situation is meeting the standards expected toward achieving the seven days of reduced violence.

“The first point here is to ensure that the cessation of hostilities are accomplished and that the Russians and the regime do the right thing over the course of the now-six days remaining,” Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian, commander of U.S. Air Forces Central Command, said during a Pentagon briefing Tuesday.

The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the main opposition monitoring outfit, said calm had largely settled over Syria despite reporting violations by both sides.

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