An Israeli air strike on Syria’s Aleppo province killed at least 36 Syrian soldiers on Friday, according to a war monitor, which added that Hezbollah weapons depots were located in the area.

The Israeli attack targeted an area “near rocket depots belonging to Lebanese group Hezbollah”, said the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has an extensive network of sources in Syria. “At least 36 soldiers were killed and dozens wounded,” it said.

It also said that the targeted area is located near Aleppo’s international airport. Syrian state news agency Sana said the pre-dawn strike killed and wounded civilians, as well as military personnel.

A Syrian military source told Sana 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.

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