Damascus, Jul 11 (IANS): Rebels in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib shot down a Russian reconnaissance drone amid intense battles, a war monitor reported.

On Friday, rebels of the National Front group targeted a Russian reconnaissance drone with anti-aircraft missiles southeast of Idlib, Xinhua news agency quoted the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights as saying.

The UK-based watchdog group said the rebels fired at the Syrian military positions in areas in the southern countryside of Idlib amid intense battles with the Syrian army in that part of the country.

Earlier in the day, the Observatory said that the Syrian army conducted heavy shelling on rebels' positions in the northern countryside of the Latakia province.

The state news agency SANA said the army foiled a major rebel attack in Latakia on Friday, inflicting hefty toll on them.

A myriad of rebel groups is located in Idlib and nearby areas in the countryside of Latakia.

Idlib is considered the last major rebel stronghold in the country.

In March, Russia and Turkey brokered a ceasefire in Idlib, but activists report violations by both sides.