40 militants killed in Syria's Idlib province

Damascus: At least 40 militants affiliated with the Al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front were killed in a series of military offensives in Syria`s Idlib province, authorities said on Thursday.

In the latest operations in Idlib, much of which fell to the Nusra Front over the past few months, government forces have captured the hilltops of Tal Awar and Tal Ghazal, as well as towns of Zayadiyeh and Sararif in the countryside of Idlib, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, the air force bombed rebel positions in several areas in Idlib.

A local TV report said the latest operations, which followed recent setbacks in Idlib in the north and other areas in the south, have been successful, but provided no further details.

On Wednesday, Defence Minister Fahed Friaj hailed the Syrian military`s "high spirit" and its effort to "defeat terrorism".