REUTERS

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Abdul Mohsen Abdallah Ibrahim al-Charekh, a Saudi better known as Sanafi al-Nasr, was killed in an airstrike near the northern Syrian town of Dana, along with another Saudi and a Moroccan member of al-Qaida's local affiliate, known as the Nusra Front, according to the report.

Jihadi activists on social media say al-Charekh was killed by a U.S. drone strike.

Al-Charekh, the alleged leader of al-Qaida's operations in Syria, was one of six men that the U.N. Security Council imposed sanctions on last year. He was also on a list of 85 most-wanted militants by Saudi Arabia who are outside the kingdom. The list, issued in 2009, includes 83 Saudis and two Yemenis.

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As reported earlier, Russian warplanes have been carrying out airstrikes in Syria since September 30. A U.S.-led coalition has been targeting the Nusra Front and the Islamic State group for more than a year.