Gunmen and suicide bombers have attacked security bases in the western Syrian city of Homs killing at least 32 people.

State TV said the local head of military intelligence was among the dead. Some reports put the death toll at more than 40.

Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, claimed the attacks.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, said attackers targeted the headquarters of military security in the city and also a branch of state security.

The attacks took place in the heavily guarded Ghouta and Mahatta districts, reprts the BBC.

State TV said provincial army intelligence chief General Hassan Daabul, a close associate of President Bashar al-Assad, was among the dead.

Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (JFS) said five of its fighters had taken part in the assault.

The group, known as the Nusra Front until it broke off formal ties with al-Qaeda last July, is considered a terrorist group by international powers backing a shaky ceasefire.

BDST: 1952 HRS, FEB 25, 2017
LM/SR