Siege of Syrian soldiers ends as insurgent victories mount

The pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, confirmed that dozens of Syrian soldiers had fled the hospital complex but said their fate was unknown.

The hospital and the holdout troops there had become an important symbol for militants and the government alike. The militants had employed artillery in an attempt to blast their way into the hospital.
Once the soldiers had fled, opposition fighters said they overran the hospital area, completing their takeover of strategic Jisr al Shughur, about 50 miles southwest of Aleppo city.
The hospital complex had been the last part of Jisr al Shughur still in government hands after a rebel offensive this month. The town sits strategically close to the government stronghold of Latakia.
Opposition video Friday showed images of what were described as government soldiers dashing for cover across a field. 
The hospital compound had been under siege by a rebel umbrella organization known as the Army of Conquest, a coalition of seven groups headed by Ahrar al Sham factions.

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The proximity of Idlib province to the Turkish border has made it an ideal operating zone for Syrian rebel groups with rear supply bases in southern Turkish cities such as Reyhanli and Antakya.
The Turkish government has called for Assad to step down and has provided logistical and other aid to various rebel groups. But the takeover of Jisr al Shughur also opened the possibility of attacks on Latakia, on the Mediterranean coast, 35 miles southwest.