Rocket Attack Reported On US-Occupied Military Base In Eastern Syria
A US-occupied Syrian military installation in the eastern province of Deir Ez-Zur came under rocket fire from the surrounding area, as Washington attempts to deploy additional military forces in Syria’s energy-rich regions.
According to the Arabic branch of Russia’s Sputnik news agency, the projectiles landed near the US-controlled al-Omar oil field on Saturday evening, creating many explosions in the adjacent neighborhoods.
There have been no early reports of major injuries or fatalities.
Following the strike, US military planes flew over the field repeatedly. So far, no group has claimed responsibility.
The US military has for long stationed its forces and equipment in northeastern Syria, with the Pentagon claiming that the deployment is aimed at preventing the oilfields in the area from falling into the hands of Daesh (ISIL or ISIS) terrorists.
Damascus, however, maintains the deployment is meant to plunder the country’s natural resources. Former US president Donald Trump admitted on several occasions that American forces had their presence in the Arab country for its oil wealth.
Back on December 2, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson lambasted the US military’s deployment of troops in Syria and its smuggling of oil and grain as illegal.
“The US stationing of troops in Syria is illegal. The US smuggling of oil and grain from Syria is illegal. The US missile attack against Syria is also illegal,” Zhao Lijian told a daily news briefing in the capital city of Beijing.
The Chinese diplomat cited official data from the Syrian government that between 2011 and the first half of 2022, the US smuggling activities have cost Syria more than 100 billion dollars of losses.
