Syrian army announces 72-hour nationwide ceasefire

The Syrian army said Wednesday it was observing a 72-hour ceasefire across the country, in an announcement coinciding with the festival marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

"A 'regime of silence' is applied across all territory of the Syrian Arab Republic for 72 hours from 1:00 am on July 6 to midnight on July 8," the army said in a statement republished by official media.

The statement did not specify whether the ceasefire extended to military action against jihadists such as the Islamic State group or the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front.

A ceasefire between regime forces and non-jihadist rebel groups was announced by Russia and the United States in late February but had mostly collapsed amid repeated violations.