Sri Lankan Air Force jets on Thursday bombed and destroyed a key LTTE facility occupied by senior rebel leaders as a series of clashes in the island's embattled north left at least 40 Tamil Tigers dead.

"Sri Lanka [Images] Air Force fighter jets targeted an LTTE senior leaders' gathering at Jayapuram in Killinochchi," the Defence Ministry said in a statement.

The air strike was carried out on based on information from reliable intelligence sources, it said, adding the location was destroyed.

In ground clashes, at least four rebels were killed when troops advanced into the "non-liberated" areas north of Pallaikulli in Mannar, destroying an LTTE bunker, according to security sources.

In Mannar's Pallaikuli area, the Army said LTTE radio transmissions revealed that five guerrillas were killed in a confrontation with security forces. Two army men were also injured in the incident.

At Manthai area in Mannar, security forces said the LTTE suffered huge losses though the details were awaited, the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) reported.