The agreement for a "cessation of hostilities" in the 5-year-old war was brokered by the United States and Russia and approved by Western-backed rebels and the Syrian government to allow humanitarian aid to reach besieged communities and pave the way for elections.
With combatants from more than a dozen countries involved, the outlook for a halt to fighting was unpredictable, as heavy bombing continued in the hours leading up to the case-fire deadline.
Initial reports indicated that at the cease-fire deadline, both the capital of Damascus and the nearby rebel-held town of Daraya suddenly became calm. Opposition activists on the ground reported early adherence to the truce, according to the Associated Press.
Mazen al-Shami, an activist near Damascus, told AP that an opposition-held eastern suburb of the capital known as Eastern Ghouta was "quiet for the first time in years." The Ghouta region, which includes the sprawling suburb of Douma, has been the scene of intense fighting during Syria's conflict.
An Associated Press crew in Damascus said the sounds of explosions stopped three minutes before midnight. An Aleppo-based opposition media collective, Aleppo24, said Russian warplanes left Aleppo skies at 12:19 a.m.
The Russian military said airstrikes had stopped in areas where armed groups had requested a ceasefire, AP reported.
There were also some reports of violations, which could not be independently confirmed, but they appeared to be relatively limited.
Hours after the cease-fire, a car bomb exploded on the edge of a government-held town, AP reported. The blast killed two and wounded others. No one has claimed responsibility for the explosion.
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