Damascus, Oct 10 (IANS): At least 125 militants from the terror outfit Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front were killed during a Syrian army offensive in Syria's Hama province on Saturday, the media reported.

A number of rocket launchers were also destroyed in the operation, backed by Syrian and Russian airstrikes, media reports said.

The air forces carried out intense strikes against the IS and Nusra Front in the towns of Atshan and Taman in Hama province, neighbouring the Idlib province, where the Nusra militants control large swathes of territory.

A military source told Xinhua news agency that the Russian air campaign targeted all areas where militant groups are located, particularly IS positions.

He said the airstrikes have achieved "direct results", and caused "huge losses" to the rebels.

"We are very optimistic that this coalition (Russian, Syrian) is a serious step toward eradicating terrorism from its roots," he said.