World Bulletin / News Desk

The Syrian government has declared a unilateral three-day ceasefire, set to last until the end of Friday, according to the state-run news agency SANA.

The announcement on Wednesday coincided with the start of the Eid al-Fitr festival, marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

A 72-hour "regime of calm" will be applied across the country until midnight on July 8, the Syrian army said in a statement republished in local media.

There was no indication the ceasefire had been agreed with any of the groups opposing the government.

A cessation of hostilities brokered by foreign powers in February to facilitate talks to end the five-year civil war has mostly unravelled in areas where it took effect in the west of the country.

That truce was agreed with many opposition militias, but did not include the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front or the ISIL

Since then, the Syrian army and the Russian military, which supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, have announced a number of temporary local truces in areas of intense fighting.

But air strikes and fighting have often continued in spite of the declarations.

Syria's conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests but has since escalated into all-out war, killing more than 250,000 people.