Gunmen kill 7 on bus in Syria as pipeline blast knocks out 3 power plants

Gunmen attack bus in Homs province hours after a pipeline explosion knocked out three power plants near Damascus.

The Syrian civil war significantly reduced the country's power production [File: Ed Ram/Getty Images]

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.

list 1 of 3 Syria removed: Which countries are still on the US ‘terror’ list – and why?

list 2 of 3 ‘Opening a new chapter’: Syria reopens embassy in Libya after talks

list 3 of 3 Syria fuel price hikes test public patience with economic recovery

Brigadier General Bassem Muhammad Shaaban, the Homs internal security chief, said the vehicle was a civilian bus carrying employees of a company home from work.

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.

在霍姆斯省，一辆巴士遭到枪手袭击，此前数小时，一条输油管道爆炸导致大马士革附近的三座发电厂停运。

叙利亚内战严重削弱了该国的电力生产能力。[图片：Ed Ram/Getty Images]

据叙利亚国家媒体报道，在叙利亚西部，枪手向一辆公共汽车开火，造成至少7人死亡。数小时前，大马士革附近的一条天然气管道发生爆炸并起火，导致三座发电厂停运。

萨那通讯社报道称，周三，一辆巴士在霍姆斯市马斯亚夫桥上行驶时遭到“不明身份袭击者”袭击，造成多人死伤。报道称，安全部队已展开调查，并公布了警员检查一辆小型巴士的照片。

名单 1/3：叙利亚已从名单中移除：哪些国家仍在美国的“恐怖主义”名单上——以及原因？

列表 2/3 “开启新篇章”：叙利亚在谈判后重开驻利比亚大使馆

叙利亚燃油价格上涨考验公众对经济复苏的耐心（共3项，此为第3项）

霍姆斯市内部安全局局长巴塞姆·穆罕默德·沙班准将表示，这辆车是一辆民用巴士，载着一家公司的员工下班回家。

他向遇难者家属表示“最深切的慰问”，并承诺追究责任。

“我们认为这起懦弱的袭击企图破坏霍姆斯省的安全与稳定，”他说道。“这种罪行绝不会逍遥法外。内部安全部门将继续追捕肇事者，直至将其逮捕并绳之以法，受到应有的惩罚。”

自2024年底巴沙尔·阿萨德总统政府垮台以来，暴力事件凸显了叙利亚当局面临的安全挑战。在此期间，大马士革及其郊区遭受了多次袭击。

就在巴士枪击事件发生前不久，叙利亚国家媒体报道称，位于大马士革附近东古塔地区的一条天然气管道发生爆炸，该管道靠近该国一座主要发电厂。此次爆炸发生在叙利亚东部另一条天然气管道遭到破坏的两天之后。

叙利亚电力公司表示，爆炸发生后，由于天然气供应不足，代尔阿里、纳西里耶和提什林发电厂均已停止运行。爆炸后，提什林发电厂还发生了火灾。

能源部长穆罕默德·巴希尔周三晚些时候在现场表示，火势现已得到控制，民防人员正在进行冷却作业。

“蒂什林电站爆炸的原因尚不清楚，”他告诉国家媒体。“可能是技术故障、袭击或蓄意破坏。待电站冷却后，专业小组将对现场进行检查，以确定确切原因。”

巴希尔表示，蒂什林发电厂的损坏情况评估完毕后，需要进行维修和保养。他说，蒂什林发电厂的维修工作完成后，将逐步提高天然气压力，以重启代尔阿里发电厂。

与此同时，叙利亚电力公司警告称，由于电力供应减少，这三座发电厂的关闭将增加限电时间。

周三发生的爆炸是六周内叙利亚天然气管网遭受的第三次袭击。叙利亚石油公司称，前两次事件均为蓄意破坏。

目前尚无人声称对任何一起爆炸事件负责。

近几个月来，叙利亚民众一直抱怨能源价格上涨。两周前，政府将柴油价格提高了 40%，汽油价格提高了 28%，引发了全国各地的抗议活动。

报告称，此次涨价是暂时的，是由全球能源成本急剧上涨造成的。