Daraa Al-Balad residents, Syria regime agree temporary truce

A fragile calm has prevailed across the besieged Daraa Al-Balad city in southern Syria since Sunday night, after warring factions agreed to a temporary truce.

The city's Central Committee in charge of negotiating with regime forces has accepted a new truce after Russian pressure, according to local reports.

The conditions include rebels handing over weapons, setting up regime checkpoints around Daraa Al-Balad, and resettling some residents in northern Syria.

Activist Abu Muhammad Al-Hourani confirmed to The New Arab's Arabic-language site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that a meeting took place between the Central Committee and the regime's security forces under Russian auspices, when a truce was agreed on until 10am  (7am GMT).

Al-Hourani said in the event the Central Committee rejected the regime’s conditions, bombardments of the town, supported by the Iranian militias, would intensify.

He explained that the regime wants its forces deployed inside Daraa Al-Balad, which is currently being controlled by rebels.

Other sources told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Russia threatened the Central Committee that it would back a regime offensive on the town if its conditions were not approved.

The prompted the committee to rethink its stance to avoid mass casualties among its residents.

Daraa Al-Balad was blockaded by regime forces on 25 June after its residents resisted an order to surrender their weapons and allow regime forces to search houses in the area.

A ceasefire came into effect on 1 September following a Russian-mediated agreement but has since been broken by regime forces.

The Syrian regime has placed  Daraa Al-Balad under a two-month siege, stopping humanitarian access to the area where around 20,000 people are living in dire conditions with scarce supplies of food and barely any medical care.