Arya News - Gunmen attack bus in Homs province hours after a pipeline explosion knocked out three power plants near Damascus.
Gunmen have opened fire on a bus in western Syria, killing at least seven people, according to state media, hours after an explosion and fire at a gas pipeline near Damascus forced three power plants offline.
The Sana news agency said “unknown assailants” attacked the bus on Wednesday as it crossed the Masyaf bridge in Homs, killing and wounding a number of people. It said security forces have opened an investigation and published photographs of officers examining a small bus.
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He offered his “deepest condolences” to the victims’ families and promised accountability.
“We view this cowardly attack as an attempt to undermine the security and stability of the province of Homs,” he was quoted as saying. “This crime will not go unpunished. Internal security will continue to pursue the perpetrators until they are arrested and brought before the judiciary to receive their due punishment.”
The violence underscored the security challenges facing Syria’s authorities since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s government at the end of 2024. Damascus and its outskirts have been hit by a number of attacks during that time.
Shortly before the bus shooting, state media reported an explosion at a gas pipeline in eastern Ghouta, near Damascus, close to one of the country’s main power plants. The blast came two days after another pipeline was sabotaged in eastern Syria.
The Syrian Electricity Company said the Deir Ali, al-Nasiriyah and Tishreen power plants were out of service because of inadequate gas supplies following the explosion. A fire also broke out at the Tishreen power plant after the explosion.
Mohammed al-Bashir, the energy minister, said at the site late on Wednesday that the fire was now under control and that civil defence crews were conducting cooling operations.
“The cause of the Tishreen power station explosion is still unclear,” he told state media. “It could be a technical malfunction, an attack or an act of sabotage. Specialised teams will inspect the site after cooling to determine the exact cause.”
Al-Bashir said the Tishreen power plant would need repairs and maintenance once the damage was assessed. Gas pressure would be raised gradually to restart the Deir Ali plant after work at Tishreen was completed, he said.
The Syrian Electricity Company meanwhile warned that the shutdown of the three power plants would increase power rationing hours due to dwindling electricity supplies.
Wednesday’s blast was the third to hit Syria’s gas network in six weeks. The Syrian Petroleum Company said the two earlier incidents were sabotage.
No one has claimed responsibility for any of the explosions.
Syrians have complained about rising energy costs in recent months, with protests breaking out across the country two weeks ago after the government increased diesel prices by as much as 40 percent and petrol prices by 28 percent.
It said the increases were temporary and caused by a sharp rise in global energy costs.