Fighters from the Islamist Nureddine al-Zinki rebel group "fired on a car as it was crossing one of their checkpoints in the village of Al-Huta after midnight," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

"Abu Ayman al-Masri, a top commander of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), was in the car and was killed," the Britain-based war monitor said. [...]

HTS is dominated by members of Al-Qaeda's onetime Syria affiliate, Al-Nusra Front.

According to the Observatory, Masri was in charge of education services for foreign members of the organisation.

He had previously served as a military trainer for new recruits.

"Abu Ayman was a member of Al-Qaeda international," the Observatory said, adding that he had fought with the organisation in Afghanistan.