BREAKING: Syria explosion: Large blast as 'ammunition depot hit' after 'three killed by Israeli airstrike'

A large explosion and a fire is being reported near an airport and air base in Syria tonight. Syrian news organisation Syriawatan News has claimed an ammunition depot has been hit.

The explosion is being reported near Khmeimim Air Base and Bassel al-Assad airport in Jableh, Syria. According to reports, a Russian aircraft took part in a reported interception attempt on projectiles firing over Jableh.

It is claimed that air defences intercepted projectiles off the coast of Jableh, a city on the north west coast of Syria.

It comes hours after Syria's state-run SANA news agency said an Israeli airstrike hit a residential building in Damascus last night, killing three people and wounding at least three others. An Associated Press journalist at the scene said the missile appeared to have targeted the bottom floor of a four-story apartment building. There was no immediate comment from Israel, which frequently hits targets linked to Iran or allied groups in Syria, but rarely claims the strikes.

Another Syrian news outlet, @syr_television, tweeted: "Syrian TV sources: The Israeli bombing began at 3:55 and ended at 4:41, with thirty missiles from naval battleships." They also claimed: "Sources to Syria TV: Israel bombed the Hmeimim base an hour after the arrival of an Iranian plane belonging to the Qashim Fars company."

Israel has reportedly launched fresh airstrikes in Syria tonight, plunging the Middle East into further crisis and sparking fears of all-out war. A fresh blitz was said to be underway in the port city of Tartus, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

It followed airstrikes in Gaza and Lebanon just hours after the international community called for calm in the region.

Joe Biden had said earlier: “We've been determined to prevent a wider war that engulfs the entire region. A diplomatic solution is still possible. In fact, it remains the only path to lasting security."

But reports said the situation had deteriorated even further, with Syrian air defences intercepting eight targets off the coastal city of Tartus earlier today. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors violence, said multiple explosions were heard over the city.

It’s not the first time Syria has been struck this month. On September 9, Israel launched deadly attacks on several military sites, killing at least 16 people. The Syrian state news agency Sana cited a hospital director saying dozens were wounded in the vicinity of Masyaf in the Hama province.

Israel’s widening of its military action is seen as a response to cross-border attacks on its northern territories by Hezbollah and other groups in Lebanon and Syria. The death toll from Israeli strikes in Lebanon this week has climbed to 558, including 50 children and 94 women, health chiefs there said.