An attack by rebels near Damascus has caused a power outage across Syria, state news agency SANA quoted the electricity minister as saying.
“A terrorist attack on a gas pipeline that feeds a power station in the south has led to a power outage in the provinces, and work to repair it is in progress,” Emad Khamis said.
An AFP journalist in Damascus said he could see from a distance a huge fire blazing near Damascus International Airport, which is located near the affected power station.
He also confirmed power was out in the capital. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported outages in several areas of the country, including Aleppo in the north and Homs in the centre.
“It is likely this was a large-scale operation planned well in advance,” said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.
In September, a similar outage was caused after a high voltage power line was sabotaged.
