In Syria, anti-government rebels say they are considering pulling out of preliminary peace talks planned to take place in Kazakhstan this month, after accusing the Syrian government of violating the terms of the 5-day-old ceasefire. The anti-government rebels have accused the Syrian government of launching an assault on a rebel-held area near Damascus that is key to the city’s water supply—a violation of the terms of the ceasefire that took effect late Thursday night and was welcomed by Syrians, including residents of Idlib. The upcoming talks in Kazakhstan for later this month are being planned by Turkey, Russia and Iran.