Syria's army said Thursday (December 29th) it would halt all military operations from midnight under a truce deal brokered by Russia and Turkey and supported by a leading Syrian opposition body, AFP reported.

"The general command of the armed forces announces a complete halt to all hostilities on Syrian territory from the zero hour of December 30th," Syria's army said in a statement carried on state television.

It said that the ceasefire excluded the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) and the former al-Qaeda affiliate previously known as Al-Nusra Front (ANF), now rebranded the Fatah al-Sham Front.

The National Coalition, a leading Syrian political opposition group based in Turkey, confirmed its backing for the truce.

"The National Coalition expresses support for the agreement and urges all parties to abide by it," spokesman Ahmed Ramadan told AFP.

He said key opposition groups including Ahrar al-Sham and Army of Islam factions had signed the ceasefire deal, though there was no immediate confirmation from opposition representatives.

"The agreement includes a ceasefire in all areas held by the moderate opposition, or by the moderate opposition and elements from Fatah al-Sham, such as Idlib province," he told AFP.

It will be the first nationwide halt in fighting since a week-long truce from September 12th to 19th that collapsed after several incidents of violence.