On 16 March, Syrian troops, backed by Hezbollah fighters, captured most, if not all, of Yabrud, after entering the eastern part of the town the previous night.
Government forces had secured the town’s main square, the Al-Akhzar Grand Mosque and the town’s Catholic church.Most of the opposition forces withdrew at dawn. 1,000 rebels retreated to the mountainous border area near the Lebanese town of Arsal. Others fled to the nearby towns of Rankus, Flita and Hosh Arab.
The fall of Yabroud is a major political, psychological and strategic blow to the rebels trying to bring down the Syrian government.
Due to the loss of the town, the rebels had no way of supplying their forces in rural Damascus, where government forces were surrounding a series of opposition-held areas. With the fall of Yabroud the battle of Qamaloun seems to be nearing its ending stages with near total victory for the SYrian army and their Hezbollah allies a very definite possibility.
According to a security source, the Army’s next targets were going to be Rankus and Flita.
i want to add couple of information which should also be part of this news. Yabroud was the last rebel controlled stronghold on the border with Lebanon, cutting off a main supply line for opposition fighters in the mountainous, hotly contested Qalamoun . No one cant deny the strategic importance of Qalamoun which is in its located at M5 highway, a main artery from Damascus to Latakia.
Nusra was the last rebel group to keep fighting, and they played the leading role with the rebels there. ISIS was there as well, and they were collaborating with al-Nusra. This was one of the few areas in Syria where there was no infighting between ISIS and other opposition groups.
Now the rebel forces have holed up in the city of Raas-al-Maara and the Syrian govt forces are preparing an all out offensive to take that town as well.