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The Syrian army said it would suspend combat operations in the southern city of Deraa for 48 hours from Saturday, Reuters reported, citing Syrian state news agency SANA.

According to the sure, the Syrian army and Iran-backed militia forces have escalated attacks against a rebel-held part of Deraa city in recent weeks, in a possible prelude to a large-scale campaign to wrest full control of the city.

But a rebel commander in Deraa told Reuters hostilities had not stopped.

"We have not heard of any such talk and the regime is still attacking us with the same intensity," the commander said at 3:30 PM (1230 GMT).

The news agency reminds that the United States and Russia have been holding talks on creating a "de-escalation zone" in southwestern Syria which would include Deraa province, on the border with Jordan, and Quneitra, which borders the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Deraa city lies within an existing plan brokered by Iran, Russia and Turkey in the Kazakh capital, Astana, in May to create four de-escalation zones in Syria. Since May, violence levels have vastly reduced in some of those proposed de-escalation areas, but fighting has continued on major frontline areas including in Deraa city.