DAMASCUS - At least 25 people were killed and tens of others wounded when a Syrian warplane crashed over a residential area in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib, activists reported.

The war jet crashed over a residential area in the town of Ariha in the countryside of Idlib, much of which fell to the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front and likeminded groups in recent months.

Further information about the plane crash is still forthcoming.

The incident is the latest in a series of violence that engulfed Idlib, where the Syrian army backed by pro-government militiamen unleashed a large scale offensive to recapture areas in the western countryside of Idlib and the adjacent central province of Hama.

Both sides suffered losses during the raging battles.

The rebels have stormed much of Idlib province over the past few months. The Syrian government has repeatedly accused Turkey of rendering support to the rebels in their push toward Idlib.