SDF Captures Syria’s Largest Oil Field

U.S.-backed forces in Syria said they captured the country’s largest oil field from the so-called Islamic State on Sunday, the Associated Press reported.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said that they captured the al-Omar oil field on the eastern banks of the Euphrates river in Deir Ezzor province with air support from the U.S.-led coalition.

SDF officials said the military operation did not cause any significant damage to the oil field’s infrastructure.

The current capacity of the field is unknown, but in 2014, when it was first captured by ISIS, it used to produce around 9,000 barrels of oil a day, according to the AP.

Last month, the SDF captured the Conoco gas field in Deir Ezzor, one of Syria’s largest, from ISIS militants.

The U.S.-led coalition told the AP that ISIS oil production has been reduced from a peak of approximately $50 million per month to currently less than $4 million after operations against the group began in 2014.

It remains unknown how the Syrian government will react to the capture of the al-Omar oil field.

The SDF said government forces are only 2 miles (3km) away from their positions in the area.

France to Provide Millions in Aid to Liberated Areas in Syria

France’s foreign minister said on Friday that his country will provide $17.65 million in aid for areas freed from ISIS in Syria by the U.S.-led coalition, Reuters reported.

The funds will go to “food, de-mining, displaced people, water and health,” Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a statement.

Also on Friday, French president Emmanuel Macron said that his military would continue to fight against ISIS in Syria, even after the fall of Raqqa, according to Reuters.

He also said that the “the challenges of stabilization and reconstruction will not be less than those of the military campaign.”

Meanwhile, Russia on Sunday accused the U.S.-led coalition of the “barbaric bombardment” of Raqqa during its campaign, Reuters reported.

“Raqqa has inherited the fate of Dresden in 1945, wiped off the face of the Earth by Anglo-American bombardments,” Major-General Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the defense ministry, said in a statement.

He added that Western countries were now rushing to support reconstruction efforts in the embattled city to cover up evidence of the crimes committed by the U.S.-led coalition.

Projectiles Fired From Syria Set off Alarms in Israel

Five projectiles crossed into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria on Saturday, setting off air-raid sirens in nearby Israeli towns, Reuters reported.

The Israeli military responded by targeting the Syrian army’s artillery positions in Quneitra province, which is adjacent to the Golan Heights.

No injuries were immediately reported.

The Syrian army blamed opposition groups for the Israeli attack, saying militants in nearby territory had fired mortar rounds into the Golan Heights.

A rebel official in Quneitra told Reuters that pro-government fighters who had been shelling rebel-held parts of the province were responsible for the errant fire that crossed into the Golan Heights.

The attack comes at a time of heightened tension between Tel Aviv and Damascus.

Earlier on Thursday, Israel struck Syrian military positions in Quneitra after an errant shell landed in the Golan Heights. Also last week, Israel struck an anti-aircraft battery in Syria that it said had opened fire on one of its reconnaissance aircraft flying over Lebanon.

In a statement released on Saturday, the Israeli military suggested it might escalate its response to these cross-border attacks.

“Whether errant fire or not, any future occurrences will force the Israel Defense Forces to intensify its response,” it said.

Recommended Reads

• The Associated Press: Foreigners Who Joined I.S. Faced Almost Certain Death in Raqqa
• The New York Times: ISIS Fighters Are Not Flooding Back Home to Wreak Havoc as Feared
• The Guardian: The Guardian View on the Fall of Raqqa: As Isis Loses, Iran Wins
• The New York Times: Russia-U.S. Diplomatic Dispute Could Endanger Syria Investigation
• The Atlantic: Why Jordan Is Deporting Syrian Refugees