Nearby localities include Tell Rifaat and Mayer to the northeast and Anadan to the south.

Movement out of Nubl was severely curtailed, and it relied on goods being airlifted by the Syrian Army.

Although relations between the inhabitants of Nubl and the surrounding villages were normally friendly, during the ongoing Syrian civil war, anti-government supporters from nearby Sunni villages have claimed that Nubl and al-Zahraa hosted pro-government militias that have launched attacks against opposition supporters.

The talks were brokered by Kurds, and several kidnapped individuals were freed on both sides.

[4] On 3 February 2016, an offensive by the Syrian Arab Army and Hezbollah ended the siege.