Lt.-Gen. Sergei Rudskoi of the Russian Military General Staff, background center, speaks to the media in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016. A top military official says Russia has halted all airstrikes in areas of Syria where armed groups, including government forces, said they would abide by a cease-fire. The screen shows, at left, Lt.-Gen. Sergei Kuralenko at Hemeimeem airbase in Syria. AP
DAMASCUS, Syria 鈥� Key players in Syria鈥檚 war traded accusations Sunday over violations of the first major ceasefire in the five-year conflict, but the truce remained largely intact on its second day.
Aid groups hope to use the lull in fighting that has claimed 270,000 lives and displaced more than half the population to deliver desperately-needed supplies.
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A successful truce would also create a more favorable backdrop for peace talks that collapsed in acrimony in early February as a Russia-backed regime offensive聽in northern Syria caused tens of thousands to flee.
The main opposition grouping Sunday described the ceasefire as 鈥減ositive鈥� but lodged a formal complaint with the United Nations and foreign governments about first day breaches.
鈥淲e have violations here and there, but in general it is a lot better than before and people are comfortable,鈥� said Salem al-Meslet, spokesman for the Saudi-backed High Negotiations Committee.
Meslet said the opposition would like to see the truce 鈥渓ast forever鈥� and that it was the 鈥渞esponsibility of the United States to stop any violations鈥�.
An HNC letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon accused Syria鈥檚 regime and its allies of committing 鈥�24 violations with artillery shelling and five ground operations鈥� in 26 areas held by the moderate opposition鈥�.
The letter, signed by HNC head Riad Hijab, also attacked Russia for conducting 鈥�26 air strikes on areas falling within the ceasefire鈥�.
Hijab said the breaches had killed 29 people and wounded dozens.
He also warned it would be 鈥渋mpossible to restart the negotiations process in such coercive conditions鈥�.
The HNC has said it did not receive any maps of areas included in the ceasefire or documents explaining the monitoring mechanism.
Syria鈥檚 Al-Watan newspaper, which is close to the government, said Sunday that those maps were still being 鈥渒ept secret鈥�.
The ceasefire does not apply to territory held by the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front.
鈥楽trange silence鈥�
Saudi Arabia, a staunch opponent of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, also accused Russia of flouting the ceasefire and targeting 鈥渕oderate opposition鈥� groups.
鈥淭hings will become clearer in the coming days on whether the regime and Russia are serious or not about the ceasefire,鈥� Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Jubeir said.
Russia, which has waged a five-month bombing campaign to support Assad, blamed 鈥渕oderate鈥� rebels and jihadists for nine ceasefire violations, including from Turkish territory.
But 鈥渙n the whole, the ceasefire regime in Syria is being implemented,鈥� Lieutenant General Sergei Kuralenko, head of Moscow鈥檚 coordination centre in Syria, was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.
In Damascus, student Mehdi al-Ani spent Sunday at his university鈥檚 cafe with friends.
鈥淵esterday, we only heard two or three shells 鈥� but I pretended like I didn鈥檛 hear anything. The ceasefire will continue, God willing,鈥� he said.
In second city Aleppo, children strolled to school without hugging walls for fear of rocket attacks, an AFP correspondent said.
鈥淭here鈥檚 something strange in this silence. We used to go to sleep and wake up with the sound of raids and artillery,鈥� said Abu Omar, 45, who runs a bakery in rebel-held east Aleppo.
Yacoub El Hillo, the UN鈥檚 humanitarian coordinator for Syria, said the ceasefire would allow aid to be delivered to an extra 154,000 people living in besieged areas over the next five days.
鈥淚t is the best opportunity that the Syrian people have had over the last five years for lasting peace and stability,鈥� he added.
鈥業nevitable鈥� setbacks
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitor, reported air strikes 鈥� believed to be either Syrian or Russian 鈥� on seven villages in Hama and Aleppo provinces.
It was unclear if the raids hit areas covered by the ceasefire. Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said only one of the villages, Kafr Hamra in Aleppo, is controlled by Al-Nusra and the others are held by non-jihadist rebels.
As recriminations flew, Washington urged patience.
鈥淪etbacks are inevitable,鈥� a senior US administration official said.
鈥淓ven under the best of circumstances, we don鈥檛 expect the violence to end immediately. In fact, we are certain that there will continue to be fighting, in part because of organisations like ISIL and Al-Nusra.鈥�
UN envoy Staffan de Mistura aims to relaunch peace talks on March 7 if the ceasefire lasts and more aid is delivered.
Israel welcomed the ceasefire but warned it would not accept Iranian 鈥渁ggression鈥� or the supply of advanced weapons to Hezbollah, the pro-regime Lebanese Shiite militia.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important it remains clear any agreement in Syria must include an end to Iranian aggression aimed at Israel from Syria鈥檚 territory,鈥� Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.