Militants launched a heavy assault in southwestern Idlib on Wednesday, June 12 night, targeting the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) positions in the Jabal Al-Zawiya region, Al-Masdar News reports.

Led by Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham, the militants began their attack by storming the Syrian Arab Army’s defenses at the town of Qasabiyah.

A fierce battle would then break out between the two parties, resulting in heavy casualties for the militants that stormed the eastern axis of Qasabiyah.

According to a military source near the front-lines, the Syrian Arab Army was able to beat back the militants, forcing the latter to retreat to nearby Abedin.

The militants on Qasabiyah came shortly after Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham announced their formal rejection of the ceasefire that was brokered by the Russian and Turkish armed forces.

The ceasefire was expected to last for 72 hours and pave the way for a humanitarian crossing so that civilians could flee from the war zone.

However, like the last ceasefire deal that was brokered last month, the militants have used these agreements to launch new attacks against the Syrian Arab Army in northwestern Syria.