1st LD: Cessation of hostilities plan goes into effect in Syria

The Russia-U.S.-backed cessation of hostilities plan has gone into effect at midnight Friday in all Syrian cities.

The plan excludes the Islamic State (IS) group and the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, as both designated by the United Nations as terrorist groups that should be fought.

Minutes ahead of the ceasefire, clam prevailed over hotspots in the surroundings of the capital Damascus, but fighting kept going in the northern province of Aleppo where the Nusra Front is active.

The frontlines of Jobar and Douma in the eastern countryside of Damascus were clam Friday evening, unlike the morning when heavy shelling and airstrikes were going on.

In Aleppo, pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV said the sound of battles were still raging.

The picture was not yet clear in other Syrian provinces, where some rebel-held areas are jointly controlled by the Nusra Front and other rebel groups that are not designated as terrorists by the United Nations, such as the countryside of the central province of Hama and northwestern province of Idlib.

Battles have also continued in the northern countryside of Latakia, where the Syrian army is eliminating the remaining pockets of the Nusra Front in that province near Turkey.

Reports said the intensity of battles usually decline during the night, making an assessment of the cessation of hostilities in accurate until morning.

If succeeded, the truce will be the first step toward a political solution to the nearly five years of conflict in Syria.

Earlier in the day, the Riyadh-backed Syrian opposition group, the Higher Negotiation Committee (HNC), announced that most of the rebel factions have agreed to respect the cessation of hostilities plan in Syria, according to the Saudi-funded al-Arabyia TV.

The Free Syrian Army, one of the West-backed rebel group, has also accepted the plan and pledged its commitment.

The report said that it wasn't yet clear whether any rebel group rejected the plan.

Meanwhile, the HNC said it had warned the Syrian government from exploiting the truce under the pretext of fighting terrorism.

On Tuesday, the Syrian government accepted the plan, but also warned the rebels not to take advantage from the fighting pause to enhance their positions. Endit