Sources in and around the mainly-Armenian-populated town of Kessab indicate that the rebel and al Qaeda-affiliated militants, who seized the town in March through the Turkish border, have withdrawn from Kessab, Asbarez reports.
The Aleppo-based Gandzasar newspaper is reporting that Syrian army forces have advance onto the city square and now control more than two-thirds of the strategic town.
Most fighters from Al-Nusra and the other rebel groups pulled out, "leaving behind only a small number" of men, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Troops loyal to President Bashar Assad's regime sent tanks to nearby villages, signaling an imminent army advance on the border town.
Activists confirmed the account, adding the rebel fighters and the Al-Nusra Front, the Syrian al-Qaida affiliate, withdrew to rebel strongholds in the Jabal al-Akrad area.
The attack on Kassab took place on Mar 21. As a result, 700 Armenian families were evacuated. Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan reacted with a statement in
The Hague, with most of the Armenian parties having urged the world community to condemn Turkey's actions. An Armenian parliamentary delegation was sent to Kassab and Latakia so as to meet with the local Armenians. A group of Armenian MPs met with Syrian President Bashar al- Assad.