After his great victory at the Battle of Ager Sanguinis, Ilghazi's Turco-Syrian army captured a number of strongholds in the Latin principality. As soon as he heard the news, King Baldwin II brought a force north from his Kingdom of Jerusalem to rescue Antioch. On the way, he picked up a contingent from the County of Tripoli under Count Pons. Baldwin assembled the remnants of Antioch's army and added them to his own soldiers. Then he moved toward Zerdana, 65 kilometers east-southeast of Antioch, which was besieged by Ilghazi.

With adroit use of his reserve knights, Baldwin saved the day. By intervening at each threatened sector, he held his army together during the long and bitter fight. Eventually, the Artuqids admitted defeat and withdrew from the battlefield. Strategically, it was a Christian victory which preserved the Principality of Antioch for several generations. Baldwin II managed to re-take all of the castles conquered by Ilghazi and prevented him from marching on Antioch.