Artillery shells were fired at "humanitarian corridors" which the army opened in two designated areas in the Bustan al-Qasr quarter and near the Castello road in northern Aleppo city, reports said.

Syria’s official news agency SANA blamed “terrorist groups” which have accused the government of emptying militant-held areas of civilians so it can take over the whole city.

State-owned Ikhbariyah television said terrorists had fired a barrage of mortars near where ambulances had been heading to take patients from the besieged parts of the city for treatment in government-held areas.

The humanitarian pause took effect at 8 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) on Thursday and will expire at 7 p.m. (1600 GMT). The Syrian army has said the pause in its military offensive will last three days.

Russian military officials said six corridors had been opened for civilians and humanitarian aid deliveries, while two others have been meant for militants.

One of the corridors is in the direction of the Turkey-Syria border which terrorists use for shipment of arms and militants, while the other leads to the northwestern Syrian city of Idlib southwest of Aleppo.

Russian and Syrian aircraft stopped bombing militant-held neighborhoods in eastern Aleppo on Tuesday, two days ahead of the truce. Russia said the jets have been deployed to an area at least 10 kilometers away from Aleppo.

The United Nations, however, has argued that the temporary truce was not long enough to provide any relief supplies, Press TV reported.

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