Syrian forces on Tuesday pounded the positions of al-Nusra terrorists in the outskirts of Mourek, az-Zakat and al-Arba’in in northern Hama, SANA reported.
Large groups of them, including foreign nationals, were killed and injured 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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in September, all militants should have withdrawn from the demilitarization zone by October 15.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.