Attack targets energy fields in central Syria

An oil refinery and two gas fields were subject to a "terrorist" attack overnight in Syria's central province of Homs, state news agency SANA reported on Saturday.

The attack targeted the Homs oil refinery, as well as a gas factory and the Rayan gas field in Homs, causing damage to some production units, SANA said.

Citing the Minister of Oil, Ali Ghanem, SANA said that there is systematic targeting of oil sectors in Syria. He added that the maintenance work started immediately after the attack.

Talal Barazi, the governor of Homs, hailed the efforts exerted to extinguish the fire in the targeted facilities.

SANA stopped short of identifying the attack, but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said the energy fields were targeted by unknown drones.

The UK-based watchdog group said big damage was caused to the targeted facilities.

The overnight attack came hours after the Islamic State (IS) terrorists targeted a gas field in the remote desert eastern countryside of Homs, during which 13 soldiers and four workers were killed, according to the SOHR.