Russian army accuses 'moderate rebels' of Syria ceasefire fail
MOSCOW: Moscow has accused what it termed Syrian "moderate rebels" of causing a ceasefire to fail, saying opposition fighters had launched some 55 attacks in the past 24 hours.
In a statement yesterday, the Russian defence ministry said "moderate rebels have caused the ceasefire to fail". The ceasefire, in force since Monday, was a last-ditch effort to stop the bloodshed in the war-torn country.
Russia has informed the United States of a "significant regrouping by armed rebels in the north of Hama province (in central Syria) and of their likely bid to launch an offensive", the ministry said.
"Russia has asked its American colleagues to put pressure on opposition leaders to stop them from acting carelessly, and it has informed them that the Syrian command will have to take proportional retaliatory measures should an offensive be launched," it added.