Syrian rebels deny report of Wadi Barada ceasefire
The government and allied fighters from the Lebanese group Hezbollah launched an attack two weeks ago
A senior Syrian rebel official denied a report on Friday that a ceasefire had been reached between rebels and government forces in the Wadi Barada area near Damascus, where bombardments have knocked out the capital's main water source.
The government and allied fighters from the Lebanese group Hezbollah launched an attack two weeks ago to take back Wadi Barada where a spring provides supplies to four million people in the capital.
A military news outlet run by Hezbollah reported that a ceasefire had been reached for "a number of hours" in the area.
But Munir Sayal, head of the political wing of the Ahrar al-Sham rebel group, told Reuters the report was "a lie".
He said that the government had on Thursday rejected a ceasefire that would have allowed for repairs to the water pumping station and for people to return to two nearby villages from which they had been displaced.
Rebels say the government bombed the water pumping station at the start of the campaign. The United Nations has said it was put of action by "deliberate targeting" but has declined to say which side was responsible.
The fighting in Wadi Barada has overshadowed a ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey to pave the way to peace talks they hope to convene in Kazakhstan this month.
Syrian rebel groups said on Monday they had decided to freeze any talks about their possible participation in the negotiations unless the Syrian government and its Iran-backed allies end what they said were violations of the ceasefire.
"Iran and the Assad regime are exploiting the fragile ceasefire to seize liberated areas around the capital before the start of the Astana negotiations," Sayal said.
The United Nations said on Friday that children were at risk of waterborne diseases in Damascus where 5.5 million people have had little or no running water for two weeks.
-
VIDEO: Hezbollah fighter: Time to leave, Russia has stolen Syria from us
The Hezbollah fighter said they have killed many syrians but Russia and Iran own Syria now Digital -
The supreme leader: the war in Syria aims to protect Iran
Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader believes that if it was not for the Iranian soldiers who were killed in the war in Syria, they would ... Middle East -
Car bomb kills at least 60 in Syria’s Azaz
Dozens were reported wounded from the attack which struck near a market place Middle East -
The complicated process of breaking down the Syria talks
The best New Year present put under the fir-tree was the unanimously voted resolution of the UN Security Council in support of the efforts made by ... Middle East -
Coalition strike kills senior ISIS leader in Syria: US
Mahmud al-Isawi managed instructions and finances for ISIS leaders and provided propaganda and intelligence support Middle East