A large explosion has hit an area near Syria's Damascus international airport, a BBC report quoting a monitoring group said.

"The blast was huge and could be heard in Damascus," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The explosion was reportedly followed by a large fire. There are no reports of any casualties. The cause of the blast on Thursday is unclear, the report siad.

Al-Manar TV, run by Lebanon's Shia militant movement Hezbollah, said the explosion may have been caused by an Israeli air strike. It said it had only caused material damage.

Air strikes, said to have been carried out by Israel, have hit sites in Syria on numerous occasions, reportedly targeting weapons shipments for Hezbollah.