48-hour cease-fire agreed to by warring sides in three Syrian towns

Syrian regime forces and rebels agreed on a 48-hour cease-fire in the rebel-held town of Zabadani near the Lebanese border and two Shiite villages in Idlib province, sources close to negotiations on both sides said on Wednesday. The cease-fire began yesterday morning at 6.00 a.m. local time, the two sources said. A similar cease-fire took place earlier this month in the same areas, but broke down even after being extended to 72 hours, and fierce fighting has raged since.