Russia has promised to pause fighting in Syria's rebel-held east Aleppo through Saturday, the UN's humanitarian office (OCHA) told AFP, after Damascus made a similar pledge. 

"Russia has told the UN that they will implement a daily pause of 11 hours per day for three days, counting from today Thursday," OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke said in an email Thursday, as the truce in the devastated city broadly held through day one.

Syria's military, which is backed by Moscow, said late Wednesday that it would also extend the truce until Saturday, but spoke only of an eight-hour halt to the fighting.