Israeli strikes hit arms depot near Damascus airport

A series of explosions occurred near Syria's Damascus International Airport Thursday morning, according to the New York Times.

Syrian state media has attributed the missile strikes to Israel, the BBC reported.

A large explosion rocked the Syrian capital early Thursday, followed by a fire near the Damascus airport, Syrian opposition activists and a monitor said.

Syrian President Bashar Assad has accused Israel of lending support to terrorist factions operating in the war-plagued country, saying Israelis provide armed groups with weapons, logistic support and medical assistance.

Israeli Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz told Israeli army radio that such a strike would be "fully consistent with Israel's policy of blocking the transfer of weapons to [Lebanese militia group] Hezbollah".

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

"The Prime Minister has said that whenever we receive intelligence that indicated an intention to transfer advanced weapons to Hizbollah, we will act".

A Syrian official said Syria would "continue to destroy the enemy's collaborators." . Israeli forces have on multiple occasions used airstrikes or other attacks to stop such moves, with the military often declining to confirm it was responsible for the strikes. Israel has annexed the Golan Heights in 1981 following the 1967 Six-Day War with Syria.

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said that Israel would not let Iran or the Lebanese group Hezbollah build up forces on the Golan Heights near Israel's northern border.

Al-Manar is affiliated with Hezbollah, an ally of the Syrian government.

SANA, the state-run Syrian news agency, said that Israel had carried out missile strikes on the airport, but it did not specify what had been hit.

The video was aired on Lebanese television, Reuters reported.

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.