Suspected ISIS members torch oil well, attack tanker in Deir ez-Zor
DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) – Armed men believed to be affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS) set late on Monday fire to an oil well and attacked a fuel tanker in two separate incidents in the desert of Deir ez-Zor, eastern Syrian.
A security source told North Press that ISIS militants burned the al-Fallaj oil well in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, causing what he described as “significant material losses.”
The source added that the attackers warned the well’s investor not to approach or resume operations until he pays a “zakat” (religious tax) to the group.
In a separate incident in the Takihi desert, north of Deir ez-Zor, ISIS gunmen opened fire at a fuel tanker shortly after dawn on Tuesday while it was en route to local oil fields, injuring the driver and damaging the vehicle.
ISIS remnants continue to carry out attacks targeting civilians, security forces, and oil facilities across the Syrian desert, particularly in areas where government and Iranian-backed forces maintain a limited presence.
Despite losing its territorial control in 2019, ISIS cells remain active in the vast Syrian desert, known as the Badia, where they continue to launch hit-and-run attacks targeting oil infrastructure, government forces, and local investors.
The group exploits the region’s rugged terrain and weak security presence to finance its operations through extortion and smuggling.