Monitor: Israel unleashes a series of strikes in Syria

Israel mounted a series of airstrikes in Syria on Sunday, including the capital Damascus, the first since rebels ended Bashar al-Assad's rule and forced him to flee, a monitoring group reported.

Israeli warplanes targeted military depots in the vicinity of a scientific centre near Damascus and an army outpost in the countryside of the capital, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Earlier on Sunday, Israeli aerial bombardment targeted the area of the Mezzeh military airport in Damascus and an unspecified target near the city, said the UK-based monitor that relies on a network of sources inside Syria.

Israeli warplanes also targeted several sites in the Daraa and Quneitra provinces in southern Syria, according to the observatory. No casualties were reported.

The Israeli Air Force had earlier attacked a chemical weapons factory in Syria according to media reports. The Jerusalem Post reported that the attack was motivated by concerns that weapons developed during the reign of al-Assad could fall into the hands of rebels.

The Israeli TV channel N12 had also reported on the strike earlier. An Israeli army spokesman declined to comment on the reports.