Syrian Army captures Maarat al-Numan

IDLIB PROVINCE – Photos of Syrian regime forces in Maarat al-Numan, a city in southern Idlib Province, spread across social media Tuesday night. The city was captured by regime forces after major operations to wrest control of northwestern Syrian from opposition fighters.

Earlier in the day, the director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based NGO tracking events in Syria, said, “The city has become completely surrounded, and the regime forces have begun their operation to storm it from the western side.” SOHR also noted that the clashes were accompanied by “Russian and Syrian air strikes”. Western Maarat al-Numan had already been largely emptied due daily shelling and airstrikes.

Opposition factions withdrew from the city after violent clashes that lasted for hours. Despite losing the city, fighting continues on the “Hesh” front across southern Idlib as Syrian regime forces attempt to advance further.

During the past four days, regime forces have been able to capture 26 districts, including Tal Mans, Maar Shmashah, Deir al-Sharqi, Deir al-Gharbi, and Mar Shmarin.

SOHR has documented the death of 21 members of the Syrian Arab Army and its allied forces across rural Idlib. Fourteen fighters from the opposition factions were reported as being killed during the fighting, raising the death toll between both sides since the beginning of the ground attack Friday evening to 147 in the ranks of the Syrian Arab Army and 151 in the ranks of the opposition.

SOHR also noted the increase in the number of air strikes during the operation. The Russian Air Force conducted 63 raids on Maarat al-Numan, Kafr Ruma, Hass, and Kafr Nubl, while the Syrian Air Force conducted 59 raids on Ariha, Jabal Al-Zawiya, and other locations across rural Aleppo and Idlib. In addition, helicopters have dropped 57 barrel-bombs across Aleppo and Idlib.