Syrian troops kill 24 Al Qaeda militants

At least 24 militants of the Al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front were killed in an ambush by Syrian troops Friday, media reported.

The Syrian troops had thwarted a wide-scale offensive by the Nusra Front militants in the towns of Jubbeh and Esal al-Wared in the al-Qalamoun region in the northern countryside of the capital Damascus, Xinhua reported citing the pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV, adding that one of those killed was a militant commander.

Separately, the Syrian war jets Friday carried out airstrikes against the positions of the Islamic State (IS) militant group in the country's eastern province of Deir al-Zour, said the TV, spelling no further details.

The Syrian air force also struck the Nusra Front positions in the country's southern province of Qunaitera on the borders with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Meanwhile, the state news agency SANA said the Syrian troops eliminated "large numbers" of the militant groups in the northwestern province of Aleppo and the central Hama province.

On Tuesday, the US military and its Arab allies launched airstrikes against IS positions in Syria's northern province of al-Raqqa and the eastern province of Deir al-Zour, the Pentagon said.

Syria responded by announcing that it was informed ahead of the attacks, adding that the administration of President Bashar al-Assad stood by any international effort to eradicate the "terrorist groups" from the country.