The Syrian army has said it will suspend operations at dawn on Thursday as part of a ceasefire deal agreed with international envoy Kofi Annan.
"After our armed forces completed successful operations in combating the criminal acts of the armed terrorist groups and enforced the state's rule over its territory, it has been decided to stop these operations from Thursday morning," said state TV, quoting a ministry official.
It added its forces would be on "stand-by" to counter any new threats.
Meanwhile on Facebook the Syrian opposition held a vote to choose the theme for its post-Friday prayers protest.
WATCH: Videos Show Shelling And Violence Across Syria
Winning, with more than 8,200 votes, was the theme "Islamic Armies Save Us".
Earlier Annan, acting as special envoy for the United Nations and the Arab League, said the government had given him assurances they would keep their side of the ceasefire deal.
"If everyone respects it I think by six in the morning on Thursday we shall see improved conditions on the ground," Annan said after meeting Iranian foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi in Tehran.
Foreign governments, including the UK, and the Syrian opposition remain sceptical about the chance for a meaningful cessation in the violence after evidence emerged of fresh attacks by government soldiers on residential areas.
Activists said at least 11 people had been killed in Homs on Wednesday.
Speaking in Indonesia, British Prime Minister David Cameron said he did not share Annan's optimism.
"We estimate that 1,000 people have died in the last week, 300 over the Easter weekend," Cameron said.
"Far from fulfilling their commitments, the regime is cynically exploiting the window of diplomatic negotiations to crack down even harder on its own people.
"With increasing refugee flows across international borders, Assad's actions are now threatening regional peace and security.
"We want to achieve a negotiated end to the Syrian crisis and avoid full-scale civil war. But Assad seems bent on doing precisely the opposite."
Elsewhere the AP reported that more than 95,000 people had fled from Syria into Jordan, with thousands more going north into Turkey.
At least 100 people were killed on Tuesday after shelling in Homs and other cities.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights said that 128 civilians were killed, including more than 70 in Homs alone.
More than 1,000 people have been killed in Syria in little over a week, activists said. The UN estimates more than 9,000 people have been killed since the start of the uprising in March 2011.