Syrians went to the polls on Wednesday in areas controlled by President Bashar al-Assad's regime for parliamentary elections dismissed by the opposition as illegitimate.
Around 250 Syrian civilians are feared kidnapped after an attack by the Islamic State jihadist group on a cement factory east of Damascus, residents told AFP on Thursday.
War-torn Syria was hit Thursday by a nationwide power cut, state television reported, but the cause was not immediately known.
Heavy air strikes were reported to have hit rebel-held areas near Damascus as fighting raged across much of western Syria on Friday, hours before a plan aimed at halting the fighting was due to take effect.
Bomb attacks in Syria's central city of Homs and near a shrine outside Damascus killed at least 87 people on Sunday, as Washington pursued efforts for a ceasefire.
Syrian government forces and allied fighters seized the town of Ataman near Deraa city on Friday, building on gains made last week in the southern province.
