DAMASCUS, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- Anti-government protests erupted in a number of hotspots across Syria on Friday, after the morning prayers of the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha, activists said, however, no clashes have been reported in most of the Syrian cities except in the northern town of Ma'arat al-N'uman.
Protests reportedly took place in the Damascus suburbs of Hajar al-Aswad, Joubar and Qaboun after the special morning prayers, as well as in the southern province of Daraa.
The Syrian army and the armed rebels on Thursday voiced commitment to the internationally-backed cease-fire during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha amid rejection from the extremist groups currently operative on ground.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said violent clashes are taking place in the surrounding of Wadi al- Dayf encampment, east of Ma'arat al-N'uman town, between government forces, rebel fighters, and fighters from the al-Qaida- linked group al-Nasra front.
Al-Nusra Front, a Jihadist group affiliated with al-Qaida that has claimed responsibility for several high-profile suicide bombings in Syria, refused to observe the ceasefire, saying it would not be tricked into playing "filthy games."
Another group, Ansar al-Islam, also rejected the truce, saying such truce plays in the hands of the government.
The current Eid holiday is important as both conflicting parties agreed to observe a truce during the feast in response to the urging international calls for such a lull to pave the way for further pacification.
The Syrian army announced Thursday the cessation of all military operations during the holiday.
In a statement broadcast by the state-run Syrian TV, the army said all military operations would be halted during the four-day holiday, but warned that the decision is reversible in case the armed groups breached the truce.
The truce proposal was put forward by the UN-Arab League joint special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who has been shuttling regional countries to push for the truce as a prelude for further pacification.
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