On 8 September 2013, rebels led by the al-Nusra Front captured the Christian town of Maaloula, 43 kilometres (27 miles) north of Damascus,[201] The Syrian Army launched a counterattack a few days later, recapturing the town.[202] On 18 September, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) overran the FSA-held town of Azaz in the north.