Ceasefire in Southern Damascus, Syria

The Middle East Eye reports that pro-government forces and the Islamic State (IS) group observed a brief ceasefire in southern Damascus on Saturday. The report, quotes the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which announced that after weeks of deadly fighting in the militants’ last stronghold in the Syrian capital, “a ceasefire came into effect at midday today, ostensibly for five hours”

Last month, President Bashar al-Assad launched a wide-scale offensive against the IS in Damascus’s Hajar al-Aswad district and the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp. Clashes have inflicted heavy losses on both sides.

The observatory’s head Rami Abdel Rahman said late Saturday that the truce, which may be a prelude to the evacuation of IS fighters from the area, was still in effect.