A survivor from Idlib implored the heavens to help the Syrian army liberate the city from armed groups and save his house, where he left his misery along with his family memories. He received reports from Idlib that Jabhat al-Nusra wrote “Christian” on the front of his house. This means that if the owners do not return within 10 days to pay a fee, the house is to be confiscated by the group.
Idlib’s Christians never thought the battles would lead to the fall of their city. Some of them did not opt to leave during the displacement wave that followed the battles, and woke up to find that armed groups had occupied their city.
A woman told As-Safir, “I saw them on Saturday morning from my veranda. They demolished the cross of our church and then entered the church and smashed the things in it. They kidnapped Father Ibrahim Farah along with a young pharmacist. We had no choice but to light candles and pray to the Virgin Mary as we hugged our children in our homes.”