Gunmen target oil tanker in Deir ez-Zor, spill cargo
DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) – Unidentified gunmen on Sunday opened fire on a government oil tanker in the town of al-Ozba in the east of Deir ez-Zor, eastern Syria, causing fuel to spill and damaging the vehicle.
A local source told North Press that the attackers, riding a motorcycle, used a machine gun to target the tanker as it exited the desert outskirts of the town toward the main road. The assailants then fled deeper into the desert area.
No casualties were reported, the source said, but the tanker sustained damage and its cargo spilled at the scene.
According to the source, tanker drivers in the area have recently received multiple threats from individuals claiming affiliation with a so-called “revolutionary movement,” warning them against transporting oil derivatives in protest at the deteriorating economic conditions in Deir ez-Zor.
Oil transport routes in Deir ez-Zor’s countryside have frequently been exposed to attacks, sabotage, and extortion attempts by unidentified armed groups, particularly along desert roads connecting remote fields to urban centers.
The town of al-Ozba lies near key oil transit routes linking fields in the eastern countryside with distribution points, making tankers a recurring target for armed actors seeking to disrupt supply lines or pressure local authorities.
Security instability, widespread unemployment, and worsening living conditions have contributed to rising tensions in parts of Deir ez-Zor, where informal groups and criminal networks often operate in loosely governed rural areas.
Such incidents have increased risks for civilian drivers and complicated efforts to maintain fuel distribution in a province already facing severe economic hardship.