Story highlights One of the 13 senior leaders killed was the al Qaeda affiliate's military commander, the source says

The special operation was part of a wider effort by Syrian forces around Idlib province

(CNN) As many as 13 senior leaders of al-Nusra Front, including the terror group's military commander, were killed in two Syrian airstrikes Thursday, a Middle Eastern security source who was briefed by Syrian intelligence told CNN.

Abu Hammam al Shami was among those killed in the strikes against al-Nusra, al Qaeda's largest affiliate in Syria , the source said. Syria's state news agency SANA also reported al Shami's death.

The special operation that took place in Hobait, in Idlib province, was part of a wider effort by Syrian forces to destroy areas believed to be gathering points for al-Nusra militants around the province, according to SANA.

According to a 2014 al-Nusra video, al Shami joined the group after years of training in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Also killed in the northwestern province of Idlib was a senior Saudi operative in the group, the source said.

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