Russia said on Sunday that the announced ceasefire in Syria had been breached nine times over the past 24 hours including by Turkey, but that the deal was mostly holding.

Russia said on Sunday that the announced ceasefire in Syria had been breached nine times over the past 24 hours including by Turkey, but that the deal was mostly holding.

The defense ministry said violations were committed by armed groups as well as "terrorist organizations".

"Over the past 24 hours, nine instances of violations of cessation of hostilities have been uncovered," the ministry said, citing its coordination centre at the Hmeimim airbase in Syria.

"On the whole, the ceasefire regime in Syria is being implemented," it said of the deal brokered by Moscow and Washington which took effect from 22:00 GMT Friday.

"At the same time there are a number of violations by groups of 'moderate' opposition and units of international terrorist organizations."

The ministry highlighted an overnight attack on the town of Tal Abyad on the border with Turkey.

Al-Manar correspondent reported that armed groups violated the ceasefire and fired one projectile on Khalta town and another three on Al-Tamouran town in north Aleppo.

Armed groups also fired bursts of sniper at a bulldozer on Zabadani-Madaya highway, he added.

A group of up to 100 militants from the stronghold of the so-called 'Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant' (ISIL) takfiri group of Raqa, who crossed the border from Turkey, mounted an attack on the northern part of the Tal Abyad, it said, adding they were acting in unison with other fighters.