Lebanon, Syria declare ceasefires

Lebanon's army announced a ceasefire in its offensive against ISIL fighters at the country's northeast border with Syria.

The ceasefire took effect at 7 am local time (04:00 GMT) on Sunday in order to determine the fate of Lebanese soldiers who are in ISIL captivity, the military statement said.

Reporting from Beirut, Al Jazeera's Mohammed Jamjoom said that the ceasefire was a significant development in Lebanon, given that "the army seemed very confident just a couple of days ago that they were going to rid those areas of the last remnants of ISIL fighters".

"Now the Lebanese government is sending out a message that they care for their soldiers, and are trying to ensure that these soldiers can be released as quickly as possible," he said. The fate of nine soldiers that ISIL, also known as ISIS, took captive then remains unknown.

UCJ, UNILORIN.