Protests erupt across Syria over fuel price hike by HTS regime

Protests have erupted in Syria after the ruling Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) regime raised fuel prices.

The HTS oil ministry announced that fuel prices increased by 25-40 percent at midnight Sunday, attributing the increase to the rise in the price of global energy commodities due to the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran disrupting oil and gas markets.

After the new prices came into effect, Syrians took to the streets in cities protesting the fuel price hike.

Protesters set up roadblocks, closing the M5 highway connecting the northern and southern parts of the country.

“Protesters blocked the M5 highway near the town of Maarret al-Nuuman south of Idlib, expressing dissatisfaction with the increase in fuel prices,” Alikhbariah TV channel reported on Sunday.

According to the TV channel, protesters in Mari and Al-Bab in the north of Aleppo province also took to the streets to protest against the decision to raise fuel prices.

Protesters blocked traffic to express dissatisfaction with the rising fuel prices in other Syrian cities as well.

In Raqqa, security forces clamped down on the protesters, clearing the roads and removing the tires that were set on fire.

Apart from Raqqa, Annahar reported protests in Deir ez-Zor and Hasakeh, which included burning tires in front of the municipality building in Tal Abyad and road blockades in the 47 area, where videos showed protesters blocking the road in front of oil-truck tankers on the M4 road.

Regime forces reportedly fired live ammunition while attempting to disperse protesters in Raqqa, Hasakah, and Deir ez-Zor.

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The new fuel prices imposed by HTS on residents’ vehicles are SYP 195 per liter (about $1.60) for 95-octane gasoline and 90-octane gasoline at SYP 185 per liter ($1.52). For diesel oil, the price is SYP 175 per liter ($1.43). Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) for household use is set at SYP 1,600 (about $13.11) per kg, and industrial LPG is priced at SYP 2,560 ($20.98) for each kg (One USD = SYP 122).

The ministry estimated that Syria’s daily consumption stands at around 300,000 barrels, while domestic crude oil production is only 100,000 barrels per day, leaving a large share of demand to be met through imports.

The US military has long stationed its forces and equipment in northeastern Syria, with the Pentagon claiming that the deployment is aimed at preventing the oilfields in the area from falling into the hands of the Daesh terrorists.

Before its fall, Bashar al-Assad’s government, however, repeatedly maintained that the US deployment was aimed at plundering the country’s natural resources.

US President Donald Trump admitted on several occasions that American forces were in the Arab country for its oil wealth. In infamous comments made in 2019, Trump said: “We’re keeping [Syria’s] oil. We have the oil. The oil is secure. We left troops behind only for the oil.”

Several countries, including Russia and China, have condemned US actions in plundering Syrian resources and have called on Washington to stop its continued looting of the war-torn country’s natural resources.

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