Russian air strikes kill at least 30 terrorists after fighter jet downed

Massive Russian air strikes have killed at least 30 militants in northwest Syria, where a Russian fighter jet was shot down, Russia's Defense Ministry said in a statement Saturday.

A series of high-precision weapon strikes has been delivered in the area controlled by the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group, which brought down the Russian Su-25 jet by using a portable anti-aircraft missile system in the Syrian province Idlib, said the statement.

"According to radio intercepts, more than 30 Jabhat al-Nusra militants were killed," said the statement.

Earlier Saturday, the ministry said a pilot survived the fighter jet crash but was later killed in a ground fight with terrorists.

In May 2017, the guarantors of the Syrian ceasefire -- Russia, Iran and Turkey -- agreed to set up the Syrian de-escalation zones in Syria, which includes Idlib province.