WorldDAMASCUS, AFP -Syria's nearly week-old ceasefire was facing a crucial deadline on Monday as the Syrian army said the truce could expire later in the day after a particularly bloody weekend. But after several days of relative calm, fighting escalated across major battlefronts, culminating in a deadly US-led air raid on a Syrian army position and fresh strikes on Aleppo. A senior military source in Damascus told AFP that the truce would expire later Monday at 7:00 pm (1600 GMT) if no extension was announced. “All of this puts the ceasefire in danger,” he said, also without commenting on whether the truce would be extended. On Monday, fierce clashes were heard throughout Damascus as Syria's military launched “a major military operation” against rebels.

Source: Sunday Times September 19, 2016 11:15 UTC