A convoy delivering aid to civilians trapped in the Syrian city of Homs was hit and a driver wounded today, as the regime and rebels accused each other of breaking a humanitarian truce.
The violence comes a day after 83 children, women and elderly people who survived more than 600 days of a choking army siege were evacuated in a UN-supervised operation.
Clashes erupted in the morning in rebel-held areas of Homs' Old City, delaying the delivery of aid.
Hours later a Syrian Red Crescent convoy came under attack.
"Shots fired targeting aid trucks and the team," the Red Crescent said on Twitter.
"Mortar shells falling in close proximity near the team and aid trucks that moved into Old City," it added, saying a driver was wounded.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, and it was unclear if the violence will stop a hard-won deal for the United Nations to deliver aid much-needed aid to civilians in Homs.
The evacuation and aid delivery were made possible by a surprise UN-brokered deal between the government and rebels to observe a three-day "humanitarian pause" in hostilities.
But five explosions were heard at 8:30 am (0530 GMT) in the besieged neighbourhoods, the Britain-based Observatory said.
The regime and opposition blamed each other for the clashes.
Homs governor Talal al-Barazi blamed the violence on "terrorists" -- the term used by the regime to describe rebels trying to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad.
"The armed terrorist groups broke the truce this morning in the Old City of Homs by launching mortar rounds at the police headquarters in the Saa area," said Barazi.
Activists accused the regime of breaking the truce.
"The besieged areas have been pounded with mortar rounds since Saturday morning," said the Unified Media Office activist group in the besieged areas.
"The shelling is also targeting the road on which the humanitarian aid is supposed to be transported."
The exiled opposition expressed concern the aid delivery could be aborted, saying it would be "devastating" for besieged civilians.
