At least five underwater oil pipelines near Baniyas in northwestern Syria were sabotaged causing an oil spill on Saturday, according to the Syrian Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ministry, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported.
The Ministry reported the incident in a statement on Sunday. After divers inspected the affected pipelines, they found that five lines had been damaged.
Petroleum pipelines vandalized in Banyas, repairs being carried outhttps://t.co/eCW1CbUFxT
— SANAEnglishOfficial (@SANAEnOfficial) June 23, 2019
Repairs began as soon as the damages were assessed and the Ministry stated that operations would return to normal within a few hours, according to SANA.
Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Ali Ghanem told Syrian TV later that six lines had been damaged and that repairs were being conducted to return the terminal to normal operation within a few hours. Ghanem described the incident as a "cowardly terrorist attack."
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