Many players but little progress in Deraa ceasefire talks

Syria’s Deraa could descend into a humanitarian catastrophe if a ceasefire deal is not reached, according to Jordan’s foreign minister, as thousands of refugees are fleeing the war-torn province.

Jordan has been attempting to mediate between the Syrian rebels remaining in Deraa and the Russians representing Bashar al-Assad‘s government to arrange a ceasefire, but so far, to little avail.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians have been forced from their homes in recent days by a Russian-Syrian offensive.

Jordan’s foreign minister says dozens of trucks loaded with humanitarian aid are waiting to pass into Syria, but trust between the opposition and the government is in short supply and with Russian and Jordanian interests in the mix, as well, it’s proving difficult to reach a deal.

Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr reports from Beirut in neighbouring Lebanon.