On Saturday morning, the Islamist groups from “Jaysh Al-Fatah” were able to seize most of Jisr Al-Shughour after fierce clashes with the Syrian Arab Army’s 87th Brigade; this resulted in the latter’s consolidation at the Jisr Al-Shughour National Hospital in the southwestern corridor of the city.
The Islamist forces entered Jisr Al-Shughour from the Al-Effendi Checkpoint in the east and the northern neighborhoods, where they were able to take control of almost the whole city, except for the well-fortified National Hospital the SAA used to fend off the swarming militants besieging the area.
As a result of their success, the Islamist groups declared on their social media accounts that the city of Jisr Al-Shughour was under their control, despite the ongoing clashes between Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham and the SAA’s 87th Brigade at the National Hospital’s outskirts.
Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham has not let up their attack on the National Hospital, but they have been forced to remain stagnate on the hill overlooking the facility due to the abundance of snipers entrenched in the high-rise buildings and the large presence of soldiers from the 87th Brigade in the surrounding area.
Immediately following the Islamist control of the city, the Syrian Arab Army’s Central Command began to mobilize their forces from nearby Ariha to counter the militant success and build a buffer around their main supply route to the Idlib Governorate from Highway 56.
A contingent from the SAA’s Tiger Forces was sent to assist the soldiers from the 87th Brigade that were trapped in the Jisr Al-Shughour countryside – the attack began at 7:30 P.M. near the Sugar Factory.
The counter-offensive began as a success, with the Tiger Forces taking control of the Sugar Factory in the southeastern outskirts of Jisr Al-Shughour, where the latter was also able to secure the nearby farms; this eventually led to 21 soldiers from the 87th Brigade being freed from the Islamist forces that encircled their positions.
After the capture of the Sugar Factory, the Tiger Forces were able to fight their way to the eastern sector of the National Hospital, opening a gap to the besieged 87th Brigade soldiers entrenched inside this imperative facility.
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