Ceasefire Ends As Fighting Resumes

A temporary ceasefire between warring parties in Syria collapsed yesterday as negotiations failed to reach a more permanent agreement to end fighting in a town near the Lebanese border and two villages in the northwest, sources on both sides said.

The ceasefire between the Syrian army and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah on one hand, and an alliance of Syrian insurgent groups on the other had been in effect since Wednesday in the town of Zabadani and the villages of Kefraya and al-Foua.

Organised with help from Iran and Turkey, which back opposing sides in the conflict, the ceasefire was designed to give a chance for negotiations aimed at a more lasting cessation of hostilities in both areas.