THE Syrian army launched its offensive to encircle various rebel and insurgent groups in Aleppo city yesterday, as a limited transnational ceasefire deal was announced in Germany.

Representatives from the 20-nation International Syria Support Group (ISSG) did not emerge from Thursday’s meeting until after midnight and then only to announce a temporary “cessation of hostilities” in a week’s time.

The Syrian air force dropped leaflets on the key town of Hratayn, adjoining Aleppo to the north, warning residents of the coming siege and urging militants to surrender.

Troops began fighting their way south from Zahraa, north-west of the city, capturing two hills overlooking the village of Tannurah — retaken by insurgents earlier this week.

The army recently lifted a three-year siege of Zahraa and neighbouring Nubl by the al-Qaida-affiliated Nusra Front and the Western-backed Ahrar al-Sham, cutting off their supply lines from Turkey.

Fifty miles to the north, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) advanced on the town of Azaz near the border with Turkey, another strategic position.

Following the marathon ISSG meeting in Munich, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused Turkey of supplying terrorists around Aleppo.

“Nusra Front, Jaysh al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham and some more moderate groups — all of them are supplied via one route, from one location on the territory of Turkey,” he said.

He added that the truce would not mean an end to fighting against terrorist forces, in line with December’s UN security council resolution 2254.

US Secretary of State John Kerry defended the agreement, saying that it was what the Syrian opposition wanted.

Mr Lavrov said further peace talks should begin “without any ultimatums or preconditions” and include the whole spectrum of the opposition — a possible reference to the YPG, whose participation has been continually blocked by Turkey.

The agreement will also see humanitarian aid airdropped to the estimated million people in besieged areas, including the 200,000 besieged by Islamic State in the eastern city of Deir al-Zour.