DAMASCUS: A powerful blast was heard at an Aleppo army site in northern Syria early Monday, followed by a series of explosions, state media reported.

Syrian state media SANA said “an explosion occurred at a Syrian army site in the vicinity of the town of Al-Eis.” The cause of the explosions was not immediately known as authorities investigate the incident.

Aleppo civil defense operations chief Faisal Mohammad Ali, quoted by the state-run Al-Ikhbariya channel, said the “continuing explosions” were preventing emergency services from reaching the site and warned civilians not to approach the area.

A resident of Aleppo’s Hamdaniyeh neighborhood told AFP they heard a “huge explosion” and when they went up to the roof could see “large flames in the distance.”

Aleppo governor Azzam Al-Gharib urged residents not to leave their homes for the time being adding that “hospitals, ambulance and emergency teams are on full alert.”

Roads leading to the site of the explosions were closed “to ensure the safety of civilians,” Aleppo’s Internal Security Command was quoted by SANA as saying.

Several such blasts have previously occurred in Syria, which is emerging from more than a decade of civil war following the toppling of longtime ruler Bashar Assad in late 2024.

An explosion of unknown origin killed 11 people at a military site in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor on Friday.

Earlier this month, an explosion at a weapons depot belonging to the Ministry of Defense killed 14 people and injured 11 in Syria’s northwest Idlib province.

Five people were killed just over a week earlier in the same area when a vehicle carrying munitions exploded.