Syria’s army and its allies repelled a major attack by members of the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham Takfiri terrorist group (previously known as Al Nusra Front) in the Arab country's western-central province of Hama.

A large group of al-Nusra terrorists were killed after they attempted to sneak into Mahardeh city, 25km north of Hama city, on Saturday, SANA reported.

The Syrian forces clashed with them near Mahardeh power plant, pushing them back and inflicting major losses on them.

The Syrian army and its allied fighters have seized swathes of central and eastern Syria in advances against terrorist groups this year.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The Syrian government says the Israeli regime and its western and regional allies are aiding Takfiri terrorist groups wreaking havoc in the country