Russian jets target insurgent alliance in Syria: Lebanon-based Mayadeen TV

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Russian jets bombed rebel positions in Syria on Thursday including rural areas near the northwestern town of Jisr al-Shughour, held by an alliance of insurgents including al Qaeda's Nusra Front, Lebanon-based al-Mayadeen TV said. The jets carried out at least 30 strikes targeting the "Army of Conquest", it said in a newsflash. The strikes targeted the militants, a newsreader from the pro-Damascus channel said. The channel said strikes also hit other areas in Idlib province, including the Zawiya Mountain region, as well as areas in Hama province further south. The pro-opposition Orient News channel said Russian strikes hit rebel positions in the Hama countryside. Russia began air strikes in Syria on Wednesday in a major escalation of the more than four-year conflict, hitting rebel groups in the country's west, including Homs province. Idlib is of greater strategic importance due to its proximity to President Bashar al-Assad's heartland in Latakia province on the Mediterranean coast. The Army of Conquest had made gains in northwestern Syria alongside other insurgent groups since May, seizing Idlib city and Jisr al-Shughour from government forces and advancing towards the coastal areas. (Reporting by Sylvia Westall; editing by John Stonestreet)