TEHRAN (Tasnim) � On Moscow's initiative, a two-day "regime of calmness" was introduced in Syria's largest city of Aleppo, beginning from Thursday, the Russian defense ministry said.





In a statement, the ministry added that a ceasefire was still in place in Daraya, a suburb of Damascus, and it was largely being observed, AFP reported.

Moscow announced the 48-hour cessation of hostilities in Aleppo following a day of fierce clashes in the province between Syrian troops and terrorist groups.

Aleppo has been divided between government forces in the west and militants in the east since 2012, a year after the conflict broke out in Syria.

Syria is currently observing a ceasefire brokered by Russia and the United States, which entered into force on February 27.

The truce was reached between the Syrian government and dozens of militant groups operating in the country. The ceasefire does not apply to the Daesh and al-Nusra Front terrorist groups.

However, renewed violence in some parts of Syria, particularly around Aleppo, has left the ceasefire in tatters in recent weeks and torpedoed peace talks on the conflict.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011.

UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which has also displaced over half of the Arab country�s pre-war population of about 23 million.

By Tasnim News Agency