Russia’s defense ministry said on Wednesday that the militants broke a truce intended to allow them to evacuate from eastern Aleppo, prompting the Syrian army to resume its operation there.

The ministry said that its military monitors in Syria had organized the evacuation of militants from the city by bus following an agreement between militant commanders and the Syrian government, a process that was supposed to begin at 0400 GMT.

But the convoy of civilian buses gathered in the Salaheddin neighborhood came under fire from territory held by militants after the insurgents regrouped and relaunched hostilities in an attempt to break through Syrian positions to the northwest, the ministry said.

“The attack by the terrorists was warded off. The Syrian army continued its operation to liberate the eastern districts of Aleppo controlled by the militants,” Russia’s military said in a statement.

A deal reached Tuesday, which would end years of fighting in the city, called on militants and civilians whom the insurgents use as human shields start evacuating from Aleppo.

If implemented, the deal would mark a major victory for the Syrian government and the worst defeat for militants. It will leave the government in control of the country’s five major cities.

Earlier Wednesday Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow expected fighting by militants in Aleppo to end in the next “two to three days” and for the situation to be resolved.

The Russian foreign ministry said in a statement that Lavrov had on Tuesday discussed the situation in Aleppo with Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Turkey on Tuesday confirmed that a ceasefire deal had been struck and that those leaving would go to the northwest province of Idlib, held by Takfiri militant alliance known as the “Army of Conquest”.

Source: Agencies