Israeli TV report says Iran 'building Syria facility' to make long-range rockets

Iran is building a facility in Syria to manufacture long-range rockets, an Israeli TV report said on Tuesday.

The report on Channel 2 news showed images it said were taken by an Israeli satellite showing a site in northwest Syria near the coastal town of Baniyas, saying the construction indicated explosives would be stored there.

It compared images of buildings it said were of a rocket factory near Tehran to structures at the Syrian site, and claimed there was a strong resemblance between them.

Tehran is a major backer of the Syrian regime and has sent thousands of Revolutionary Guards and Shia militia fighters to bolster Damascus' decimated armed forces.

US news reports have said that Israeli intelligence officials will discuss the situation in Syria and Lebanon with US counterparts in Washington this week, Reuters reported.

Israel has long voiced concern about Iran's influence in Syria, with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu warning last week that Tehran was strengthening its foothold in the country as the Islamic State was being displaced.

"Our policy is clear: We vehemently oppose the military build-up by Iran and its proxies, primarily Hizballah, in Syria and we will do whatever it takes to protect Israel's security," Netanyahu said in a speech last week.

In July, Israel said it opposed a US and Russian-sponsored ceasefire in southern Syria which could end the horrific regime bombing of towns and villages, fearing it could benefit arch-rival Iran.

Israel's position on Iranian influence in Syria seems to have had traction, with both Russia and the US coming out in recent weeks to put these concerns to rest.

Israel has been a vociferous critic of a 2015 deal between six world powers and Iran to curb the country's nuclear programme in return for an end to multilateral sanctions.