Israel's military says it has struck Hezbollah intelligence assets near Damascus in an attack that Syria said had targeted civilian sites.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the air strike caused significant damage.

"The attack on the assets of the military intelligence headquarters in Syria joins the attacks in Lebanon in damaging the intelligence capabilities of the terrorist organisation Hezbollah," Israel's air force said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Syria's defence ministry said Israel targeted civilian sites south of the capital and caused some damage.

There were no immediate reports of casualties but Syrian state media SANA said reports indicated the strike had hit the Sayeda Zeinab area, south of the capital.

The Syrian foreign ministry condemned the strike, calling Israeli attacks on civilian areas "criminal".

Sayeda Zeinab, a stronghold of the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, which is designated as a terrorist organisation by Australia, has been the target of previous strikes.

It is rare for Israel to comment on the strikes. The IDF has ramped up strikes in Syria since the escalation of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict. 

Reuters reported that Syrian and Western intelligence sources said Israeli attacks in Syria had killed numerous Hezbollah and pro-Iranian militia fighters based around the eastern outskirts of Damascus and to the south of the city, with Sayeda Zeinab targeted due to the presence of high-ranking militia leaders.

Syria has urged United Nations members to take swift action in "halting Israeli aggression" and holding it accountable.

Earlier this week, Israel said it killed a commander in the Hezbollah Radwan force's anti-tank missile unit in the al-Sultaniyah village in southern Lebanon.

Reuters/ABC