(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Syria's warring parties declared a 48-hour ceasefire in a frontline area yesterday after a month of unprecedented mediation from Turkey and Iran, signalling a new approach by some regional powers backing opposing sides in the conflict.
The ceasefire halted fighting between insurgents on the one hand, and the army and its Lebanese militant Hezbollah allies on the other, in the rebel-held town of Zabadani and in a pair of Shia villages in Idlib province.
The two areas are strongholds of each side under ferocious attack by the other, meaning both could benefit from a ceasefire by evacuating civilians or combatants.
Three officials close to Damascus described the truce as a result of mediation by Turkey, which backs rebels fighting against President Bashar Al Assad, and Iran, whose support has been vital to his survival.
It was among the strongest signs yet of a new regional approach towards a conflict that has killed a quarter of a million people, made 10 million homeless, left swathes of Syria in the hands of Islamic State militants and divided the countries of the Middle East on sectarian grounds.
After four years in which international diplomacy made no headway towards peace, countries that support Assad and his opponents have been quietly discussing ways to end the war and tackle the common threat from Islamic State. But Assad's fate remains a major obstacle to the new diplomatic effort.
The Iranian foreign minister is expected to discuss a new peace plan for Syria in Damascus.
"A ceasefire began at 6am today for 48 hours to halt military operations in Zabadani," Hezbollah's Al Manar TV reported.
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