For the last three weeks, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the National Defense Forces (NDF) have been stagnate on the Idlib front, as the militants from the Syrian Al-Qaeda group “Jabhat Al-Nusra” and their allies from Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham and Jund Al-Aqsa swept through the cities of Al-Mastoumah and Ariha near the provincial capital.

This changed on Monday night, when the Syrian Arab Army’s 87th Brigade of the 11th Tank Division – in coordination with the Tiger Forces and the 45th Regiment of the 1st Armored Division – conducted a special operations mission near the town of Zayzoun, where they stormed the hill of Tal A’our and engaged the militants from Jabhat Al-Nusra in a three hour firefight that resulted in the Syrian Armed Forces taking control of the hilltop.

The Syrian Armed Forces launched this surprise attack on the militants from Jabhat Al-Nusra at Tal A’our in order to protect their soldiers at the villages of Frikka, Al-Ziyarah, Qurqour, and Joureen from the multitude of rockets, missiles, and mortar shells that are fired onto their positions from this hilltop.

In addition to their capture of Tal A’our, the Syrian Armed Forces also advanced towards the village of Zayzoun before nightfall on Monday; this is a strategic area for the latter, as this village will allow for them to widen their frontlines.