Syria: 3 oil and gas facilities hit by possible drone attacks

Syria state TV and oil ministry confirmed that simultaneous attacks believed to have been carried out by drones hit three oil and gas facilities located in central Syria. The supposed drone attack targeted Homs oil refinery and two gas facilities located in different parts of Homs province. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks but it is believed that the attacks were carried out by rebels, controlling some parts of the Homs province near the border with Jordan. 

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The supposed drone attack

The Syrian government took control of the city of Homs back in 2017 but the rebel-held areas are still a matter of concern for the Bashar Al-Assad government. Syria is facing huge fuel shortages since the start of this year as most of the oil fields are controlled by the Kurdish-led fighters in the country's eastern region. Syria is also facing Western sanctions on imports and the production of oil has drastically decreased from 350,000 barrels per day in 2013 to 24,000 barrels a day now. 

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United States renewed sanctions on Iran are not helping the Syrian fuel shortages either as Tehran is a major strategic ally of the Bashar Al-Assad government in Damascus. Syria's oil imports dropped in 2018 and continued to decrease by early 2019. In June, sabotage attacks damaged five underwater pipelines off the Mediterranean coastal town of Banias in Tartous province. Syria is gripped by the threat of Islamic State and growing rebel movements since 2011. The Syrian conflict started after a teenager was picked up by security agencies and was subjected to torture for writing anti-government slogans on the walls of his school. 

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In September, drone attacks rocked the world's largest oil facilities in Saudi Arabia which led to a dramatic cut down in international oil supplies. Houthi rebels from Yemen claimed responsibility for the attacks, while Saudi Arabia and the United States blamed Iran for supplying weaponry to the rebel group. 

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