Israel hits Hezbollah arms depot near Damascus

Damascus: A massive explosion struck near Damascus International Airport early Thursday as Israel blew up an arms depot belonging to the Hezbollah, Syrian rebel and regional intelligence sources said. 

"A military position southwest of Damascus International Airport was targeted at dawn today by an Israeli aggression using several missiles fired from occupied territory, sparking explosions in the area," SANA news agency reported, citing a military source.

Both Russia and Syria have condemned the attack, which Israel has not officially claimed responsibility for. 

But the country's intelligence minister Yisrael Katz, speaking from the United States to Israeli Army Radio, said: 'I can confirm that the incident in Syria corresponds completely with Israel's policy to act to prevent Iran's smuggling of advanced weapons via Syria to Hezbollah.

'Naturally, I don't want to elaborate on this.'

"When we receive intelligence that points to the intention to transfer advanced weapons to Hezbollah, we will act. This incident conforms completely to that policy."

The depot handles a significant amount of weapons that Tehran, a major regional ally of Syrian government, sends regularly by air, a regional intelligence source told the Reuters news agency

Hezbollah's al-Manar television had earlier said the explosion was "probably" caused by an Israeli air strike.

"The blast was huge," Syrian Observatory for Human Rights chief Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. "It's unclear what caused the explosion but there are fires raging at the site."

Al-Manar said the strike caused only material damage.

The airport lies about 25 kilometres southeast of the capital. 

Rebel sources said the attack caused a fire with flames appearing to come from a closed military area of the sprawling complex they believed was used by Tehran to supply weapons to Iranian-backed militias operating alongside the Syrian army. 

A Western diplomat said the airstrikes sent a clear political message to Iran, effectively saying it could no longer use Iraqi and Syrian airspace with impunity.Israeli warplanes have hit the airport and other bases around the capital in the past, targeting what it said were weapons stockpiles of its foe Hezbollah which is battling extremist rebels supported by the US and its regional allies.

Last month, Israel said it had carried out several strikes near the Syrian desert city of Palmyra, targeting what it said were "advanced weapons" belonging to Hezbollah.

The strikes prompted Syria to launch retaliatory ground-to-air missiles, one of which was intercepted over Israeli territory in the most serious flare-up between the two neighbours since the Syrian civil war began six years ago.

Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman threatened to destroy Syrian air defence systems if they were used again.

On 13 January, Syria accused Israel of bombing Mazzeh air base in the western suburbs of the capital. There were several strikes near the same base last year.

In April 2016, Netanyahu admitted for the first time that Israel had attacked dozens of convoys in Syria that he said were transporting weapons destined for Hezbollah.

Israel and Syria are still technically at war, though the armistice line had remained largely quiet for decades until 2011 when the Syrian conflict began.

Israel and Hezbollah fought a devastating war in 2006 which resulted in the defeat of Israeli defence forces. The 34-day war killed 1,200 people in Lebanon, mainly civilians, and 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.