Millions have fled abroad, many of them seeking asylum in the EU, but nearly 18 million people remain in Syria, which has been carved up by fighting between government and rebel forces.
An air strike on a busy market in rebel-held Idlib, in the north-west, killed 20 people and injured as many as 90 on Saturday, media and opposition activists said.
In other fighting:
Rocket attacks on government-held areas of the eastern city of Deir al-Zour by so-called Islamic State (IS) killed at least seven people, Syrian state media say
Israeli aircraft struck targets inside Syria after a projectile hit the Israeli-controlled part of the Golan Heights
Reports spoke of air strikes by Syrian or Russian jets on the towns of Anadan and Hreitan near Aleppo
Layers of conflict: Analysis by Jeremy Bowen, BBC Middle East Editor, Damascus
But there is scepticism about its chances. That is because a lot is going to have to go right, quite quickly, if the agreement is to work. One necessity is President Assad's consent. A week-long ceasefire might be possible, but a political deal to end the war is still out of sight.
The Assad regime's survival depends on the Russians, so he will listen to them. But with Russia's help, the Assad regime is looking more robust. So it is hard to see why the president, or his Russian allies, would want him to go.
The war in Syria is made up of layers of conflict, which connect up to regional and global rivalries. That makes it very hard to calm, let alone end.
The truce is due to take hold at sunset on Monday, at the start of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.
Under the plan, Syrian government forces will end combat missions in specified opposition-held areas.
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