An explosion struck the Jbessa gas pipeline in southern Hasakah province in the late afternoon, hours after damage to a pipeline transporting oil products from the coastal city of Baniyas to Homs caused a fuel leak. The company described the gas pipeline blast as a "sabotage attack," SANA reported. No group or individual has been named as responsible.
Oday al-Satouf, head of the company's media office, told SANA that crews found a hole in the Baniyas-Homs pipeline in the Hadida area, west of Homs, closed valves on either side of the damaged section and began repairs. State media said the leak was believed to be linked to an attempted fuel theft. Al-Satouf said gas would continue to reach power stations through alternative arrangements and that domestic gas supplies were unaffected.
The incidents follow a string of attacks. More than a week ago, an oil pipeline near Tal Hamis in Hasakah was damaged in a sabotage attack, and authorities said they arrested those responsible. In late September, a fire on a gas pipeline between al-Shoula and Deir Az Zor halted gas flows from the Jbessa plant to power stations, with a company official saying gas pressure in the area fell as crews worked to extinguish the blaze.
Syria has been working to restore its energy infrastructure and increase domestic oil production, including resuming operations at oil fields in Hasakah to supply refineries in Homs and Baniyas. In January, the petroleum company announced plans to transport crude from recently recovered fields to the two refineries as part of efforts to revive the sector.