A cease-fire brokered by the U.S. and Russia for civil-war-torn Syria began at sunset Monday, though fighting between government and opposition forces was reported during the day. The cease-fire, announced Saturday by U.S. and Russian officials, was backed by the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Russia, an Assad ally, also announced the cease-fire on its official state media. U.S. officials declined to give details of the mechanism or to say if they will go public in the event there are violations. The state Syrian Arab News Agency, or SANA, broadcast live images of Assad flanked by religious leaders and officials at a mosque in the suburb of Daraya.

Source: Los Angeles Times September 12, 2016 17:08 UTC