ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A “sabotage” attack damaged an oil pipeline in Syria’s northeastern Hasaka province on Wednesday, leading to the rapid arrest of the suspected perpetrators, the state-run Syrian Petroleum Company (SPC) announced - the third such attack in the span of 10 days - as the country grapples with an ongoing national fuel crisis.
The company said an oil pipeline near Tal Hamis in Hasaka province “was subjected to a sabotage attack … resulting in damage to the pipeline,” adding that emergency crews quickly deployed to isolate the breach and begin repairs to restore service.
Authorities launched an investigation into the attack and "successfully identified and arrested the perpetrators," who were turned over to the judiciary for legal proceedings, the company said.
The blast came a week after a gas pipeline explosion east of Damascus, in addition to a similar attack two days prior in which an explosion struck a gas pipeline between al-Shula and Deir ez-Zor in eastern Syria. The attacks coincide with a severe fuel shortage that triggered widespread protests across Syria in mid-September following a spike in fuel prices.
The SPC attributed that incident at the time to an “act of sabotage,” saying the explosion occurred at a sectional valve and halted gas supplies from the Jbessa plant to power stations.
The company confirmed Wednesday that "this attack comes amid a recent series of strikes targeting several energy pipelines and facilities in Syria," adding that such acts hit vital infrastructure and the broader energy sector rather than just company assets.
In a separate incident on Wednesday, Syria’s Interior Ministry’s Internal Security Command announced the arrest of “three individuals caught in the act of stealing oil and sabotaging the al-Jido station,” in Deir ez-Zor province on their X account.
Notably, the blast east of Damascus a week ago resulted in three power plants being knocked offline after the explosion struck a gas line at the Tishreen Thermal Power Plant.
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