Underwater bombs damage Syria's offshore oil facilities

Damascus, Jan 27 (AP) Bombs planted underwater off Syria's coast exploded on Monday, damaging oil facilities used to pump oil into one of Syria's two petroleum refineries, state media and oil minister said.

one claimed responsibility for attack, third to target Syria's oil and gas industry in less than a year.

attack off coast of Banias was carried out by "terrorists," state news ncy SANA said. Banias is on Mediterranean shoreline in Tartous province.

Oil minister Ali Ghanem told state TV that bombs were planted by divers in facility used to pump oil to coast. He said facility is 3 kilometers (2 miles) off coast and is 23 meters (yards) underwater.

" aim of attack is to cease (oil) imports into Syria," Ghanem said, ding ministry's experts are evaluating and fixing dam. He said attack will t stop imports as ministry h prepared plans in case of such attacks.

Last month, near-simultaneous attacks believed to have been carried out by drones hit three government-run oil and gas installations in central Syria. One of December attacks targeted oil refinery in central city of Homs.

Syria has suffered fuel shorts since last year. Western sanctions have blocked imports, while most Syrian oil fields are controlled by Kurdish-led fighters in country's east.

In June, sabot attacks damd five underwater pipelines off Banias.

Before Syrian conflict erupted in 2011, country exported around half of 350,000 barrels of oil it produced per day. w its production is down to around 24,000 barrels a day, covering only a fraction of domestic needs. (AP) SCY