ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A gas pipeline in Syria’s eastern Deir ez-Zor province caught fire after an explosion at a valve, which Syrian state media attributed to an “act of sabotage”.
The explosion occurred Monday evening on a section of pipeline between the al-Shula area and Deir ez-Zor, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported.
“The fire led to the suspension of gas pumping from the al-Jibsa plant toward power stations,” Hisham al-Saleh, head of the gas sector at Syrian Petroleum Company, told SANA.
Al-Saleh said firefighting teams immediately isolated the section of the pipeline before and after the affected area and were working to extinguish the blaze while reducing gas pressure in the line.
No casualties have been reported.
The pipeline disruption affects gas supplies used by power stations, adding pressure to Syria’s already stained energy infrastructure. Deir Ez-Zor contains some of Syria’s key oil and gas fields and facilities, including the al-Omar and Tanak oil fields and the Conoco and T-2 gas facilities.
The incident comes after Damascus regained control of most of Syria’s oil and gas sector earlier this year following an agreement with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that transferred control of oil and gas fields in northeast Syria to the central government.
Eastern Syria has experienced ongoing stability recently. Earlier this month, an explosion at a military post in Deir ez-Zor killed 11 Syrian soldiers. The defense ministry has not disclosed what caused the explosion.
Hajin, a city in Deir ez-Zor province along the Euphrates, was among ISIS's final territorial strongholds before its defeat in 2019. The militant group is still believed to operate sleeper cells and command local support across parts of eastern Syria.
The area has also seen acts of sabotage against infrastructure, while sporadic ISIS attacks continue to underline the fragile security environment.
