syria
© Khalil Ashawi / Reuters
Russian and US military have managed to find an "effective mechanism" to maintain the cessation of hostilities in Syria, the head of the Russian Center for Reconciliation at Khmeimim airbase said, adding that the level of violence in the country has dropped significantly since February.

"The American side is working with opposition groups and has been able to convince them that the 'regime of silence' should be observed," Lieutenant General Sergey Kuralenko told journalists.


Comment: So did the moderate terrorists really agree? If so, perhaps they had a moment of clarity with the realization that in a day or two, they would all be dead thanks to Russian airstrikes and the Syrian Army. But we'll believe it when we see it. According to Russia's Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin, "We have been promised that the armed units of [the] so-called moderate opposition will break off all links with the al-Nusra, withdraw from territories it occupies and clearly state their readiness to take part in the peace settlement. This has not occurred so far."


He stressed that no shelling has been recorded in the area of the eastern Ghouta, Rif Dimashqin province in southwestern Syria, the recent days. "These tasks are fulfilled by both American side and [Syrian] government forces," he added.

According to Kuralenko, the level of violence in Syria has considerably dropped since the end of February, when the Russia-US brokered ceasefire kicked off and secured support from various armed opposition groups. Terrorist groups such as Islamic State and Al-Nusra Front are not part of the agreement.


Comment: That hasn't stopped Turkey and Saudi Arabia from pumping thousands more terrorists into the country:
Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi informed on Tuesday that thousands of terrorists have crossed the border into his country in the last few days.

"Around 6,000 terrorists have crossed the border and entered Syrian territories in recent days," the Arabic-language media outlets quoted al-Zoubi as saying on Tuesday.

Late in April, Syrian Prime Minister Wael Nader al-Halqi also warned that more than 5,000 fresh militants crossed the border into the Northwestern provinces of Aleppo and Idlib from Turkey, stressing that the ceasefire agreement was being violated by certain parties.

"In the end we see that Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar, as well as Western countries such as Great Britain and France have no real desire to move the process of the political settlement in Syria forward," al-Halqi said.

The Syrian prime minister stressed that it's "just the opposite, they are aiding in the escalation of terrorist activity and arming terrorists. Over the last week, more than 5,000 troops crossed the border with Turkey into the provinces of Aleppo and Idlib."

"Since the founding of the Center on February 27, the level of violence has dropped significantly. The numbers of shelling [incidents] from both sides has dropped eightfold," Kuralenko said.

According to the head of the Russian Center for Reconciliation, the situation in Syria is stabilizing, but however, tensions are being still observed in northern Latakia and Aleppo, as well as in several areas in the Damascus Province.

Aleppo, one of Syria's largest cities, remains a hotspot, with various parts of the city held by different groups.

On Tuesday, a hospital in Aleppo was attacked by a rocket, killing at least three people and injuring more than a dozen, Sana news said, adding that women and children were among the casualties. The facility was under the control of government forces, and was targeted by a radical rebel group.

Following the attack, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution on the protection of civilians in armed conflicts following the deadly attack on an Aleppo hospital. The document demands protection of hospitals in war zones.

"Such attacks must end," UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said prior to the vote.