U.S. and Russia reach Syria cease-fire deal

The United States and Russia reached a cease-fire agreement over the conflict in Syria early Saturday morning, a deal made after days of intense negotiations between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

"Today the United States and Russia are announcing a plan which we hope will reduce violence, ease suffering, and resume movement toward a negotiated peace and a political transition in Syria," Kerry said. "We are announcing an arrangement that we think has the capability of sticking, but it is dependent on people's choices."

"This all creates the necessary conditions for resumption of the political process, which has been stalling for a long time," Lavrov added.

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The truce will go into effect Monday evening at sundown, timing which corresponds with the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha, and will allow much-needed humanitarian aid to make its way into Syria's devastated cities. After a week, American and Russian forces will begin cooperating to target Islamic State and al Qaeda militants in Syria, and Russia has pledged to stop the Bashar al-Assad regime from flying over rebel-controlled regions to drop barrel bombs and chlorine gas attacks. In return, the U.S. will pressure opposition forces to stop working with the Nusra Front, an al Qaeda splinter group in Syria which Assad has used as an excuse for brutal bombing campaigns.

The deal was quickly welcomed by Turkey, which is now preparing humanitarian aid for its Syrian neighbors.