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The Syrian government has abandoned Idlib province to concentrate on regions deemed vital for its survival, a security source and activists said Friday, allowing insurgents to seize the province’s last regime-held city, The Daily Syar reports, citing news agencies.

Rebels now control the vast majority of Idlib province after the Army of Conquest rebel coalition overran Ariha and surrounding villages Thursday.

“The lightning offensive ended with a heavy pullout of regime forces and their allies Hezbollah from the western side of the city,” said Rami Abdel-Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an anti-regime monitoring group. “We can’t even say there were real clashes with the government in Ariha.”

The Army of Conquest also seized villages around Ariha, even as regime warplanes bombarded the city.

Abdel-Rahman said 13 regime loyalists were executed by rebels inside Ariha, and another 18 were killed in fighting on its outskirts.