Rebels take Ariha from Assad
Syrian rebel groups Thursday said they had seized the town of Ariha – the last regime-held urban center in Idlib province – after launching their campaign earlier in the day, The Daily Star reports.
The latest blow to the regime of President Bashar Assad came at the hands of the Army of Conquest rebel coalition, made up of seven groups and led by the Al-Qaeda affiliate the Nusra Front and the powerful Ahrar al-Sham militia.
The government continues to control tiny pockets of Idlib province, including the besieged military airport of Abu Dhuhur.
The rebel groups and anti-regime activists said that skirmishes were continuing to take place on the outskirts of Ariha after some of the town’s defenders withdrew to nearby villages.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said an unspecified number of civilians were killed during the clashes, which coincided with airstrikes by regime aircraft.
The Observatory said the seven militias making up the Army of Conquest were battling regime troops, paramilitaries from the National Defense force, Hezbollah fighters and Iranian officers.