King Faisal ordered the Syrian army not to resist the French advance, but Syrian defence minister General Yusuf al-Azmah, who was 36 years old at the time, insisted on leading his forces to oppose their advance. The French forces under the command of General Mariano Goybet easily defeated the Syrian forces, which consisted of a few hundred regular soldiers from the newly formed army and hastily-summoned citizen volunteers from Damascus. Yusuf al-Azmah was killed in the battle, and he is considered by some a Martyr who went to an already lost battle, knowing that he would die for the glory of Syria. The battle ushered in the new era of French colonialism and led to more revolts in Northern Syria and Damascus.