REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, DAMASCUS -- At least 17 armed militants were killed Sunday by Syrian forces attacks against rebel positions in the eastern countryside of the capital Damascus, according to the state news agency SANA.

The Syrian government forces carried out attacks against the militants' positions in the towns in the eastern Ghouta countryside of Damascus, said SANA, adding that Yemenis, Libyans and Jordanians were among the killed militants.

SANA said the Syrian army dealt "direct hits" to the rebels in different areas east of Damascus, adding that similar attacks were also directed against the rebels in the southern provinces of Qunaitera and Daraa.

In the northwestern province of Idlib, the Syrian troops killed tens of militants of the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front in towns in Idlib countryside, said SANA, adding that the "qualitative" military operation in Idlib countryside aimed at hitting the supply routes of the Nusra militants from neighboring Turkey.

The news came just days after the pro-government al-Watan newspaper said the Syrian army was bracing to unleash an offensive to recapture Idlib, which was overran by the Nusra Front late last month.

On the opposition side, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 18 people were killed Sunday by Syrian airstrikes against rebel-held areas in Daraa province.

The Syrian crisis has been dragging on for over four years with no solution in sight. The long-running conflict has killed over 200,000 people, according to opposition activists.

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