The Fatah Army, a rebel coalition headed by al-Qaida's Syrian branch al-Nusra Front, captured the last regime-held town of Ariha in Idlib province late on Thursday. In doing so the rebels succeeded in cutting the line between Aleppo and Latakia, one of the regime's strongholds. Rebels also seized full control of neighboring towns and villages. Regime troops reportedly escaped to the town of Gab where they remain trapped unless a successful operation repels the rebels. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that al-Nusra Front and its allies captured the city after fierce clashes with regime forces, including Hezbollah fighters, who were then seen pulling out. "The Fatah Army has taken full control of the city of Ariha after a lightning offensive that ended with a heavy pullout of regime forces and their Hezbollah allies from the western side of the city," SOHR head Rami Abdel Rahman told Agence France-Presse. Anti-regime activists claimed that the town of Ariha fell within no more than four hours. "The rebel sweep saw their fighters quickly enter outer districts of Ariha," the monitoring group said. Al-Akhbar newspaper reported: "Units fought to maintain their positions within the town to cover the entire withdrawal, enabling [the army] to move … south of the town, while other groups fought furiously until late Thursday at the entrance of the city to support the withdrawal." The newspaper also quoted some Fatah Army militants as saying that the regime forces fired more than a thousand mortars while pro-opposition alsouria.net claimed troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad fired a number of Scud missiles. Pro-opposition groups and activists welcomed the "conquest" of the strategic town that can accommodate more than 60,000 people. A source from the Syrian army also confirmed on state television that regime troops withdrew from Ariha and accused Turkey of equipping the rebels. In response to the rebel advance, the regime carried out several airstrikes, but the number of casualties is as of yet unknown. The militants also shared photos of weapons that were left behind by regime forces. Some photos showed that tons of humanitarian aid, most of which with the U.N. logo, was held by regime troops in military bases. The Fatah Army has won a string of victories in Idlib since early April as rebel groups, except the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), after ending internal disputes, have been unified and concentrated on advancing on Latakia. The rebels have recently made the most significant gains since the war started in 2011. More than a month ago the opposition groups under the umbrella of the Fatah Army captured the city center of Idlib, which was hailed as a huge gain against the Assad regime in Syria. The rebels proudly declared that they had seized control of the city and released several videos showing the people of the city saluting the fighters and thanking them for expelling the regime forces. Assad, whose forces hold positions in Latakia, Damascus and some parts of Aleppo was, as understood from his statements, frustrated at the loss and accused Turkey of facilitating the fall of Idlib to opposition groups, although since the beginning of the war in 2011 regime forces have lost large amounts of territory. Opposition sympathizers on social media claim that the regime is facing its worst days since 2011 and is "anxious." Consequently, it has become more aggressive as more barrel bombs reportedly started to fall and prisoners held by regime forces have been executed prior to the capture of the rebels. Opposition groups, after ending internal conflicts, except with ISIS, continue to make gains in the rural parts of Idlib near Latakia. Jisr al-Shughour was the last captured town before the seizure of Ariha by opposition fighters after a rapid surrender on Saturday. The capture took 48 hours and regime forces evacuated the town completely. In March 2011 Syrians were emboldened enough to raise their voice against dictatorship. However, the regime's response was not as peaceful as the protests and the country was subsequently dragged into a deadly civil war after opposition groups took up arms against the government. The Syrian civil war has now entered its fifth year and has caused the deaths of more than 200,000 people with at least 60,000 missing. The war has also displaced nearly 10 million people. While international and regional powers continue endless discussions, it is reported that the Syrian regime continues to use chemical weapons. About 13.6 million people, equivalent to the population of London, have been displaced by conflicts in Syria and Iraq, many without food or shelter, the U.N. refugee agency revealed. The 13.6 million include 7.2 million displaced within Syria – an increase from a long-held U.N. estimate of 6.5 million – as well as 3.3 million Syrian refugees abroad, 1.9 million displaced in Iraq and 190,000 who have left to seek safety. The vast majority of Syrian refugees have fled to Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey. Western countries have been frequently criticized by aid agencies and the U.N. for not opening their borders to Syrian refugees, as the most developed countries have received the least number of refugees.