Israeli strikes in Syria's Aleppo kill at least 33 people — report

Israel air strikes on the Syrian countryside near Aleppo have killed and wounded at least 33 civilians and regime soldiers, according to several media reports and officials.

The strikes on Aleppo early on Friday killed 33 civilians and military personnel, two security sources told Reuters news agency.

The attack killed at least "36 Syrian soldiers" and targeted an area "near rockets depots belonging to Lebanese group Hezbollah", the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said.

Syrian regime news agency SANA said that "at approximately 1:45 am, the Israeli enemy launched an air attack from the direction of Athriya, southeast of Aleppo", adding that "civilians and military personnel" had been killed and wounded in the strike.

Regime media quoted an unnamed military official as saying that Israeli drone strikes had targeted civilians in Aleppo and its suburbs. It did not give an exact numbers for the casualties.

Contacted by AFP from Jerusalem, the Israeli military said it would "not comment on reports in the foreign media".

Past attacks

Local sources told the AP news agency that Israeli strikes hit missile depots for Lebanon's Hezbollah group in southern suburb of Jibreen near the Aleppo International Airport.

It added that dozens of regime soldiers were killed or wounded in the strikes. Local sources said explosions were still heard two hours after the strikes.

There was no immediate statement from Israeli officials on the strikes.

Israel frequently launches strikes on what it says are Iran-linked targets in Syria but rarely acknowledges them.

On Thursday, Syrian regime media reported air strikes near the capital Damascus saying it wounded two civilians.

Aleppo, Syria's largest city and once its commercial centre, has come under such attacks in the past that led to the closure of its international airport. Friday's strike did not affect the airport.

The strikes have escalated over the past five months against the backdrop of the war in Gaza and ongoing clashes between Hezbollah and Israeli occupation troops on the explosive Lebanon-Israel border.