Syria's Regime And Rebel Group Agree To Truce That Will Begin Saturday

The U.S.-led coalition is only attacking the Islamic State and other extremist groups, not Assad's military.

"Unlike Russia's obscured hand in Ukraine, its actions in Syria are being played out in daily headlines that report on Russia's indiscriminate bombing and its support of the Syrian regime in areas where moderate forces are aiming to get out from under the rule of the Assad regime", Clapper said.

The UN has conceded that enforcing the plan on the ground will be challenging.

The deal will not apply to the two main jihadist groups in Syria, Islamic State (IS) and the rival al-Nusra Front.

The Syrian opposition has been more cautious. Corker and other Republican senators chided Kerry for the lack of leverage the USA has against Russian Federation if Moscow violates the terms of the agreement. The Kurds have been fighting IS, even as they face attacks from America's North Atlantic Treaty Organisation-ally Turkey. Khanaser lies along the government's only access route to Aleppo, Syria's largest city and once commercial center.

The High Negotiations Committee (HNC) - the leading Syrian opposition group - gave its conditional acceptance to the deal late Monday.

"For us, al-Nusra is a problematic point, because al-Nusra is not only present in Idlib, but also in Aleppo, in Damascus and in the south. The critical issue here is that civilians or the Free Syrian Army could be targeted under the pretext of targeting al-Nusra", said a senior opposition figure, Khaled Khoja.

In their recent meetings in the White House, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine General Joseph Dunford, and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Brennan have voiced increasingly hawkish views towards Russian Federation, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing a senior administration official.

However, Talal Sillo, a spokesman for the predominantly Kurdish Syria Democratic Forces told The Associated Press that his group will not abide by the truce because it's fighting against IS in northern Syria.

Hua said a ceasefire and an end to violence is an important part of the political process in Syria, adding that it can help to maintain progress and peace talks.

The Syrian government said Tuesday that it had accepted a proposed truce in the country, adding that operations would nevertheless continue against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and al Qaeda's branch in Syria.

President Obama welcomed that an understanding was reached between the United States, Russia, as well as other partners in the International Syria Support Group on the terms and modalities for such a cessation of hostilities.

The second round of inter-Syrian talks was planned to start in Geneva under United Nations auspices on February 25.

The main umbrella for the Syrian opposition and rebel groups says it "agrees to a temporary truce" as long as the main opposition's demands are met.

Russian Federation and the USA also agreed to set up the communications "hotline" to facilitate the exchange of information on the cessation of hostilities, monitor compliance and for urgent matters.