Syria's state media say rebels have fired a chemical weapon in the north of the country, killing 15 people.

The report by the official SANA news agency marks the first time the government has accused fighters seeking to topple President Bashar Assad of using chemical weapons.

It says "terrorists" fired a rocket "containing chemical materials" into the Khan al-Assal area in the northern province of Aleppo on Tuesday. The regime regularly uses the term terrorists to refer to rebels fighting Assad's forces.

SANA says around 15 people, most of them civilians, were killed and a number of others were wounded.