BEIRUT (REUTERS) - The two major rebel factions in Syria's eastern Ghouta welcomed on Saturday (Feb 24) a UN resolution demanding a 30-day truce across the country to allow aid access and medical evacuations.

In separate statements, Jaish al-Islam and Failaq al-Rahman pledged to protect aid convoys that come into the besieged rebel enclave near Damascus. The insurgents said they would commit to a truce, but would respond to any violation by the Syrian government and its allies.

The UN Security Council adopted the resolution on Saturday, as one of the deadliest air assaults of the seven-year war pounded eastern Ghouta this week.