Smoke rises from a fire on a tanker near the port terminal of Baniyas in western Syria, April 24, 2021


The Assad regime’s Foreign Minister has declared that Israel will be “paying a price” for its attacks on Iranian tankers bringing oil to regime-held parts of Syria.

Faisal al-Mekdad told Lebanon’s Al-Mayadeen TV that tankers are now moving under Russian protection.

There should be deterrence to Israeli attacks on ships. The Israeli government and arrogant Israeli leaders must understand that these attacks cannot continue with Israel not paying a price.”

He did not offer any example of how the regime might retaliate against Israel.

Israeli authorities made no comment.

Multiple sources have described an Israeli campaign to deny oil to the Assad regime, which is facing a fuel crisis. The Israeli daily Haaretz claimed that “several dozen” attacks on tankers have inflicted “billions of dollars” of damage.

The last reported attack was in late April, in the Mediterranean near the Syrian port terminal of Baniyas. After the explosion, Iran’s Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Amir Hatami shook his fist at Israel: “The power wielded by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and Army have provided the country with security today and awarded it with active deterrence capability.”

Western and Israeli officials have said that the explosions are also part of Israel’s strikes throughout the 122-month Syrian conflict. They cited the targeting of Iran ’s transport of weapons, including to its Lebanese ally Hezbollah.

Iran has propped up the regime with oil supplies financed by billions of dollars in lines of credit. However, as Tehran faces its own problems, the lines of credit have been limited in recent years.

Under US and European Union sanctions, the regime lacks funds to pay for other foreign supplies. Inside Syria, it depends on trade with Kurdish authorities, who control much of northeast Syria with the large majority of the country’s oilfields.

In recent months, queues of up to two miles for petrol have been reported by Assad supporters.