🔸An explosion in a gas pipeline near Damascus, Syria’s capital, has caused a large fire and taken three power plants offline.

🔸The explosion occurred on Wednesday evening, Mehr 9, near the Tishreen thermal power plant, about 36 kilometers southeast of Damascus.

🔸The Syrian Electricity Company said that, as a result of the incident, three power plants have been taken offline, and the reduction in electricity generation will lead to a temporary increase in the hours of power outages and power rationing.

🔸Abdelhamid Salat, head of the media department at Syria’s Ministry of Energy, also said that the consequences of the explosion were not limited to the electricity sector and that pumping stations and drinking water treatment facilities were also affected.

🔸The incident occurred two days after another explosion in a gas pipeline in eastern Syria, which officials had said was the result of sabotage.

🔸The recent explosions are happening as protests over an increase in fuel prices in Syria have intensified. Syrian officials attribute the price increases to the effects of the regional war with Iran.