Syrian forces carried out artillery strikes against fortifications and supply routes of al-Nusra Front terrorists in the areas of Tal al-Sakhir and Kafar Zeita near borders of Idlib, SANA reported.

A number of the militants were killed during the counterattack.

The areas where the clashes broke out are located in a planned buffer zone, which surrounds Idlib and also parts of the adjacent provinces of Aleppo and Hama.

Under a deal reached following a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in September, all militants should have withdrawn from the demilitarization zone by October 15.

However, al-Qaeda-linked Takfiri terrorists said they refuse to either leave the buffer zone or hand over their weapons.