DAMASCUS, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army on Thursday launched targeted artillery and missile attacks on positions of the ultra-radical rebel groups in the northwestern province of Idlib, the Syrian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The Syrian army's calculated attacks destroyed the strongholds and ammunition depots of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied militias, along with multiple vehicles, equipment, and a diverse array of ammunition, in the northern and western outskirts of Idlib, said the statement.

The attacks also inflicted heavy casualties on the "terrorist groups," the statement added.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based watchdog group, also reported the attacks on rebel positions in Idlib, noting that the rebels responded by shelling areas in the Latakia and Hama provinces.

The military operation in Idlib comes on the heels of escalated drone attacks on government areas in Hama and other areas in western Syria.

On Thursday evening, pro-government Sham FM radio reported the air defenses in Hama intercepted drones in the city of Al-Suqaylabiyah, without providing more details, while the state news agency SANA said three people were killed in a drone attack in Hama's countryside town of Rabia.

The reports did not provide more details.

Earlier this month, a rebel drone attack on a graduation ceremony at the Military Academy in Syria's central province of Homs claimed the lives of at least 80 military personnel and civilians and left 240 others injured.

HTS, previously known as the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, has established control over a large swathe of Idlib. Enditem

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