Hezbollah ends Syria truce

A media arm of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has announced that an hours-long cease-fire for a contested valley in Syria has expired.

The Barada Valley is the Syrian capital’s primary source of water. Supplies to four million people in and around Damascus have been severely restricted since the government moved to dislodge the opposition from Barada Valley 18 days ago.

Hezbollah, which is fighting alongside the government forces on the front lines of Syria’s war, announced through its military media arm that a cease-fire declared hours earlier on Friday had expired.

It said a Russian delegation had entered the valley to try to negotiate a resolution for the contested region.

There was no comment from the opposition’s side.

Earlier a media arm of Hezbollah has announced a temporary cease-fire between Syrian government and opposition forces fighting over the Barada Valley.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported calm in the Barada Valley for the first time since the government’s side moved to dislodge the opposition there 18 days ago.