Two Syrian pipelines damaged in fresh blow to war-hit energy network

Security forces of Syria's Interior Ministry guard the al-Omar oil field, the country's largest by area and productionTwo pipelines carrying gas and petroleum products were damaged in separate incidents in Syria on Thursday, with one explosion triggering a fire and another causing a fuel leak, Syrian state media reported.According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), citing the state-owned Syrian Petroleum Company, an explosion struck the Jbessa gas pipeline in Hasakah province, while a separate leak was detected on the Baniyas-Homs petroleum-products pipeline near Homs.The explosion struck the Jbessa gas export pipeline in the al-Arabidi area of Hasakah province, setting the pipeline on fire. Emergency teams isolated the damaged section and shut valves to contain the blaze.The Syrian Petroleum Company described the incident as sabotage. Officials said alternative arrangements would maintain gas supplies to power stations during repairs, while domestic gas supplies remained unaffected.In a separate incident, a hole was discovered in the Baniyas-Homs pipeline in the Hadida area west of Homs, causing a leak of petroleum products. Emergency and technical teams were deployed to contain the leak and isolate the damaged section.Al Jazeera, citing Syrian state media, reported that the damage to the Baniyas-Homs pipeline was believed to be linked to an attempted fuel theft. The initial reports did not confirm the cause or identify those responsible.The incidents come amid a series of disruptions to Syria’s energy infrastructure. Earlier in October, an oil pipeline near Tal Hamis in Hasakah province was damaged in what the Syrian Petroleum Company described as sabotage.Syria is working to rebuild its oil and gas infrastructure after years of conflict, restoring production in northeastern oilfields and reconnecting them with processing facilities and refineries in Homs and Baniyas.In January 2026, the Syrian Petroleum Company began pumping raw gas from the Jbessa fields in Hasakah to the Furqlus gas plant in Homs countryside at around 1.2 million cubic metres per day to support electricity generation.The second damaged pipeline, connecting Baniyas on the Mediterranean coast to Homs, transports petroleum products between two important energy centres. The Baniyas refinery is undergoing an overhaul aimed at increasing its processing capacity from around 80,000 to 130,000 barrels per day.Syria has also undertaken emergency pipeline repairs and plans to expand its transportation network. A September 2026 analysis by the Baker Institute for Public Policy reported that the Syrian Petroleum Company was repairing existing infrastructure and planning a heavy-crude pipeline linking northeastern oilfields to the Baniyas refinery.