Dozens of Syrian forces killed near border

Dozens of Syrian regime troops have been killed and injured in an attack by hardline jihadists led by an al-Qaeda-linked group near the Lebanese border, a monitor says.

Sunday's attack by militants from the self-styled Levant Liberation Body targeted regime positions in the north-western part of rural Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights added.

The assault triggered fierce clashes that resulted in unspecified casualties among both sides, the Britain-based watchdog said.

The jihadists have gained ground in the area, seizing a strategic hilltop in the past few days, the Observatory added.

There was no official comment in Damascus.

Founded in January, the Levant Liberation Body is headed by the al-Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat Fatah al-Sham and includes four other militant groups.