United Nations Security Council on 31
st Dec 2016 welcomed a ceasefire in the Syrian civil war.
Rebel groups threatened to abandon the two day old truce if violations persisted. A resolution welcoming the ceasefire, the third truce this year, sought to end 6 weeks of war.
It was unanimously adopted by the 15 member council meeting in New York.
Deal brokered by Russia and Turkey which back opposing sides, reduced violence but firefighters, air strikes and shelling went on in certain areas.
Factors belonging to the Free Syrian army- a loose alliance of militias excluding more radical islamist groups- indicated that government forces and Iranian backed Lebanese Hezbollah fighters have been trying to push rebels back in the Wadi Baradavalley, northwest of Damascus.
Continued violations by the regime and bombardments and attempts to attack areas under control of the revolutionary factions will make the agreement null and void.
Rebels and political opposition said the government side was amassing forces to launch a ground attack in the area.
FSA factions indicated in a separate statement that they would abandon the truce deal if Russia, whose air power has helped President Bashar al-Assad to turn the tide of the war, did not use its influence to halt the Wadi Barada attacks.
Air raids around Wadi Bharadahad stopped and the ceasefire still held, though clashes in the area were continuing.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group confirmed there had been fighting in the area, which is the source of capital's water.
The resolution has also welcomed plans for talks in Kazakhstan before the resumption of UN brokered talks.
The war has killed more than 300,000 people and made more than 11 million homeless.
In particular, Turkey is trying to push back Kurdish forcesand the jihadist Islamic State, both excluded from the deal,from areas south of its border.
The position of other Islamist groups such as Jabhat Fatehal-Sham and Ahrar al-Sham with respect to the ceasefire is unclear with both having criticised it.
