Syrian state media said Israel struck near a defense research center in Damascus and hit central Syria on Wednesday, as Israel said it struck "military" capabilities and a monitor reported four dead.

Israel has launched hundreds of strikes on sites in Syria since Islamist-led forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, saying it wants to prevent weapons from falling into the hands of the new authorities, whom it considers extremists.

"An Israeli occupation aircraft strike targeted the vicinity of the scientific research building" in Damascus's northern Barzeh neighborhood, Syria's SANA news agency said.

It also reported an Israeli raid targeting "the vicinity of the city of Hama" in central Syria, without specifying what was hit.

The Israeli military said in a statement that forces "struck military capabilities that remained at the Syrian bases of Hama and T4, along with additional remaining military infrastructure sites in the area of Damascus".

Last month, Israel said it struck the T4 military base in central Homs province twice, targeting military capabilities at the site.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said that "four people were killed and others wounded, including Syrian defense ministry personnel, in the strikes on Hama military airport".

It said those raids, which targeted "remaining planes, runways and towers, put the airport completely out of service," also reporting that the Damascus strikes targeted the research center in Barzeh.

In the days after Assad's fall on December 8, the Britain-based Observatory reported Israeli strikes targeting the center.

(Source: AFP)