Later that day, two fighters from Jund al-Aqsa blew themselves up near Army checkpoints,[22] on the eastern side of the city,[13] followed by a three-pronged assault on Idlib.

Meanwhile, at the northwestern entrance to Idlib, the rebels attacked a number of NDF checkpoints, reaching the northern side of the Youth Housing.

[13] Overall during the day, the rebels captured seven checkpoints, but the Army managed to recapture four of them,[23][24] including reportedly re-securing the northern perimeter of the Youth Housing.

[22] In response to the rebel assault on Idlib,[26] government forces reportedly launched a chlorine bomb attack on the rebel-held town of Binnish, leaving dozens of people hospitalized.

[31] In the day's fighting, Abu Jamil Yusuf Qutb, the deputy leader of Ahrar ash-Sham, was killed[3] during an attack on an Army checkpoint near Idlib.

However, the sources stated the Youth Housing and Al-Mahraab Quarters were declared safe zones after the rebels were driven back to the outskirts, following multiple artillery strikes by the 155th Brigade at the Hama Military Airport.

[46] During the Syrian government's retreat, 15 prisoners who were being held at the military intelligence headquarters were reportedly executed, while the rebels captured six tanks.

[54] In response to al-Mheisnei, Ahmad Tu'mah, prime minister of the Syrian Interim Government, stated "it is not true that Jabhat al-Nusra refused our entry.

In response to this, a Syria expert from the Al-Hayat newspaper believed Sharia implementation would be limited following pressure on Al-Nusra from Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

[63][64][65][66] Stratfor described the battle as a "pivotal victory" for opposition forces,[62] while The Long War Journal called it "the most significant blow" to the government in months.

[63] The twin Shia towns of Fouaa and Kefray, now besieged, would face destruction and perhaps a sectarian massacre if they did not agree to a peace settlement with rebel forces, according to a post from Syria Comment, run by Joshua Landis.

[71] However, others were of the opinion that a potential rebel advance on other fronts as a result of this battle would not happen if government forces launched a counterattack to retake the city.

In addition, it was viewed that the fall of Idlib would complicate Turkish efforts to win support for the enforcement of a no-fly zone over northern Syria.

[70] Taking into account the role of al-Nusra Front, al-Qaeda's Syria/Lebanon branch, the possibility of Idlib being the effective capital of al-Nusra-controlled territories was raised.

[71] Ahmed al-Sharaa stated that al-Nusra Front does not "want to monopolise rule over Idlib city", calling for power sharing and adding that authority "does not come from scaring the people, but in protecting them, defeating their oppressor and defending the weak".

[72] Still, by May 2016, al-Nusra made unilateral attempts to expand its control over both Idlib and other nearby rebel-held towns, with the aim of laying the groundwork for al Qaeda’s first sovereign state (or Emirate) as Charles Lister described it.