Latest news with #DAMASCUS
Zawya
a day ago
- Business
- Zawya
US firms to develop Syria energy masterplan after Trump lifts sanctions
DAMASCUS: U.S.-based firms Baker Hughes, Hunt Energy and Argent LNG will develop a masterplan for Syria's oil, gas and power sector, Argent LNG CEO Jonathan Bass said on Friday, in a partnership aimed at rebuilding energy infrastructure shattered by 14 years of civil war. The move marks a swift turnaround as U.S. companies enter a country previously under one of the world's tightest sanctions regimes that U.S. President Donald Trump lifted at the end of June. The companies plan to help explore and extract oil and gas and produce power to help get the economy running as the government seeks to put Syria back on the map. The plan comes after a dash by other companies, many from Gulf Arab states, to sign deals to bolster Syria's power generation and ports infrastructure. Details of the plan have not been previously reported. "We are initiating the development of a comprehensive masterplan for energy and power generation in Syria, based on a preliminary assessment of opportunities for near-term improvements in generation capacity and service delivery," Bass told Reuters via phone. "Our efforts aim to support the revitalization of the energy sector in coordination with relevant stakeholders,' he added. "This includes potential activities across the value chain—from exploration and production to electricity generation, including combined-cycle power plants," he said, declining to elaborate further. Argent LNG, which is developing a liquefied natural gas export facility in Louisiana, in January signed a non-binding agreement to supply Bangladesh up to 5 million metric tons of the fuel annually, the first major U.S. LNG supply deal since Trump began his second term. Reuters received no immediate response to emailed questions to global energy services provider Baker Hughes, while Texas-based oil and gas company Hunt Energy declined comment. The plan is to begin with areas west of the Euphrates River, under control of the Syrian government. Syria's east, where much of its oil is produced, remains controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces, a U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led armed group that Washington has urged to integrate with the new authorities in Damascus following the ouster of former Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad. After 14 years of war, Syria's electricity sector is severely damaged, generating only 1.6 gigawatts of electricity, down from 9.5 GW before 2011. Billions of dollars of investment are needed to fix the sector, so the cash-strapped state is looking at private investment or donors to foot the bill. In May, Syria signed a memorandum of understanding with Qatar's UCC Holding to develop $7 billion worth of power generation projects, including four combined-cycle gas turbine power plants and a 1,000-MW solar power plant in southern Syria. 'GROWING INTEREST' In a post on LinkedIn on Thursday, Syrian Finance Minister Yisr Barnieh said the three U.S.-based companies were forming a coalition to invest in Syria and develop the country's energy sector. "This visit signals a growing interest among American companies and investors in engaging with Syria," he said. Bass, Hunt Energy CEO Hunter L. Hunt, and a senior executive at Baker Hughes arrived in Syria on a private jet on Wednesday morning and were meeting with Barnieh when Israel conducted a series of airstrikes on Damascus that shook the city, Bass said. "It was big," said Bass, who has been working on the energy project since visiting Damascus and meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in April. He was part of both state-led and informal efforts to lobby Trump to meet with Sharaa. The landmark meeting took place in mid-May with a big push from the leaders of Turkey and Saudi Arabia, and Trump announced the end of Syria sanctions. As they are slowly phased out, investor interest in Syria has grown. A week of violence in the southern province of Sweida, however, has darkened the mood in the country and left at least 321 people dead, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, a human rights group. "To work in Syria, there are potholes, there are ditches, it has craters," said Bass.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Calm reported in Syria's Sweida as tribal fighters said to withdraw
Calm reported in Syria's Sweida as tribal fighters said to withdraw DAMASCUS (Reuters) -Residents reported calm in the Syrian city of Sweida on Sunday after the Islamist-led government declared that Bedouin fighters had withdrawn from the predominantly Druze city and the United States stepped up calls for an end to fighting. There was no sound of gunfire on Sunday morning, according to a resident speaking from the city outskirts, while a Druze source in the region said there was calm in most areas. Kenan Azzam, a dentist, described the situation on Sunday morning as "a tense calm" but told Reuters residents were still struggling with a lack of water and electricity. "The hospitals are a disaster and out of service, and there are still so many dead and wounded," he said by phone. The fighting began a week ago with clashes between Bedouin and Druze fighters. Damascus then sent troops to quell the fighting, but they were accused of carrying out widespread violations against the Druze and were hit by Israeli strikes before withdrawing under a truce agreed on Wednesday. The Syrian presidency had announced a new ceasefire early on Saturday but it quickly collapsed into renewed fighting, underlining the challenge interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa faces in asserting authority over the fractured nation. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Exclusive-US firms to develop Syria energy masterplan after Trump lifts sanctions
By Timour Azhari DAMASCUS (Reuters) -U.S.-based firms Baker Hughes, Hunt Energy and Argent LNG will develop a masterplan for Syria's oil, gas and power sector, Argent LNG CEO Jonathan Bass said on Friday, in a partnership aimed at rebuilding energy infrastructure shattered by 14 years of civil war. The move marks a swift turnaround as U.S. companies enter a country previously under one of the world's tightest sanctions regimes that U.S. President Donald Trump lifted at the end of June. The companies plan to help explore and extract oil and gas and produce power to help get the economy running as the government seeks to put Syria back on the map. The plan comes after a dash by other companies, many from Gulf Arab states, to sign deals to bolster Syria's power generation and ports infrastructure. Details of the plan have not been previously reported. "We are initiating the development of a comprehensive masterplan for energy and power generation in Syria, based on a preliminary assessment of opportunities for near-term improvements in generation capacity and service delivery," Bass told Reuters via phone. "Our efforts aim to support the revitalization of the energy sector in coordination with relevant stakeholders,' he added. "This includes potential activities across the value chain—from exploration and production to electricity generation, including combined-cycle power plants," he said, declining to elaborate further. Argent LNG, which is developing a liquefied natural gas export facility in Louisiana, in January signed a non-binding agreement to supply Bangladesh up to 5 million metric tons of the fuel annually, the first major U.S. LNG supply deal since Trump began his second term. Reuters received no immediate response to emailed questions to global energy services provider Baker Hughes and Texas-based electric utility Hunt Energy. The plan is to begin with areas west of the Euphrates River, under control of the Syrian government. Syria's east, where much of its oil is produced, remains controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces, a U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led armed group that Washington has urged to integrate with the new authorities in Damascus following the ouster of former Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad. After 14 years of war, Syria's electricity sector is severely damaged, generating only 1.6 gigawatts of electricity, down from 9.5 GW before 2011. Billions of dollars of investment are needed to fix the sector, so the cash-strapped state is looking at private investment or donors to foot the bill. In May, Syria signed a memorandum of understanding with Qatar's UCC Holding to develop $7 billion worth of power generation projects, including four combined-cycle gas turbine power plants and a 1,000-MW solar power plant in southern Syria. 'GROWING INTEREST' In a post on LinkedIn on Thursday, Syrian Finance Minister Yisr Barnieh said the three U.S.-based companies were forming a coalition to invest in Syria and develop the country's energy sector. "This visit signals a growing interest among American companies and investors in engaging with Syria," he said. Bass, Hunt Energy CEO Hunter L. Hunt, and a senior executive at Baker Hughes arrived in Syria on a private jet on Wednesday morning and were meeting with Barnieh when Israel conducted a series of airstrikes on Damascus that shook the city, Bass said. "It was big," said Bass, who has been working on the energy project since visiting Damascus and meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in April. He was part of both state-led and informal efforts to lobby Trump to meet with Sharaa. The landmark meeting took place in mid-May with a big push from the leaders of Turkey and Saudi Arabia, and Trump announced the end of Syria sanctions. As they are slowly phased out, investor interest in Syria has grown. A week of violence in the southern province of Sweida, however, has darkened the mood in the country and left at least 321 people dead, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, a human rights group. "To work in Syria, there are potholes, there are ditches, it has craters," said Bass. "If you don't have the team that's willing to accept craters, don't come."
Free Malaysia Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Death toll from southern Syria violence rises to 248
Red Crescent volunteers carry a soldier injured in Sweida city during clashes between the government forces and Druze militias. (AP pic) DAMASCUS : At least 248 people have been killed in southern Syria's Sweida province following several days of clashes that triggered the deployment of government forces, a war monitor said on Wednesday. Sporadic fighting persisted despite the Syrian defence ministry announcing a ceasefire on Tuesday after government forces entered the Druze-majority city due to deadly clashes between local fighters and Bedouin tribes. The toll includes 92 members of the Druze minority, 28 of them civilians, with 21 'killed in summary executions by government forces', according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. At least 138 Syrian security personnel were killed, along with 18 allied Bedouin fighters, the monitor said. Clashes erupted on Sunday in the Druze-majority province of Sweida between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin tribes following the kidnapping of a Druze vegetable merchant, which triggered tit-for-tat abductions, according to the Observatory. Government forces announced their intervention in the province on Monday to break up the clashes and deployed to Sweida city on Tuesday. However, according to the Observatory, witnesses and Druze factions, these forces intervened on the side of the Bedouins. The violence included summary executions of civilians and the burning and looting of homes and shops, according to testimonies from residents, a local news network and the Observatory. The war monitor reported clashes and intermittent shelling in Sweida on Wednesday. An AFP correspondent inside the city saw around 30 bodies, including some security personnel and fighters in civilian clothing carrying weapons. He added that columns of smoke were rising from some neighbourhoods amid the sound of intermittent shelling. The local Suwayda 24 news network reported that the city had been hit by 'heavy shelling with heavy artillery and mortar shells' since Wednesday morning. The Syrian defence ministry accused 'outlaw groups' of attacking its forces inside the city, saying they are now 'continuing to respond to the sources of fire'. The violence is the largest since deadly clashes between government forces and Druze fighters near Damascus and in Sweida province killed over 100 people in April and May. After the December overthrow of president Bashar al-Assad, who long presented himself as a protector of minorities, the new Islamist authorities and Druze factions discussed potential integration into government ranks but have not reached a full agreement. Israel, which had previously said it would protect the Druze in Syria, reiterated its warning to Damascus on Wednesday. Israel may 'raise the level of responses against the (Syrian) regime if the message is not understood'. Israel previously warned Syrian authorities that it would not allow their forces to be present in southern Syria.
CNA
5 days ago
- Politics
- CNA
Syria says pulling troops from Druze heartland after US request
DAMASCUS: Syria announced that its army had begun to withdraw from violence-hit Sweida on Wednesday (Jul 16), following a wave of Israeli strikes on the capital and a United States call for government forces to leave the majority-Druze southern city. The US, which is close allies with Israel and has been trying to reboot its relationship with Syria, said an agreement had been reached to restore calm in the area, and urged "all parties to deliver on the commitments they have made". The Syrian government earlier announced a new ceasefire in Sweida that would bring a halt to military operations there, after clashes that a war monitor said had left more than 350 people dead since Sunday. The Syrian army "has begun withdrawing from the city of Sweida in implementation of the terms of the adopted agreement, after the end of the sweep of the city for outlaw groups", a defence ministry statement said. The statement did not mention any withdrawal of other government security forces, which had deployed to the city on Tuesday with the stated aim of overseeing a previous truce agreed with Druze community leaders following days of deadly fighting with local Bedouin tribes. That ceasefire appeared to have little effect, however, with witnesses reporting that the government forces joined with the Bedouin in attacking Druze fighters and civilians in a bloody rampage through the city. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said that the violence in Sweida province had left more than 350 people dead, including government forces, local fighters and 27 Druze civilians killed in "summary executions". The Syrian presidency vowed to investigate the "heinous acts" in Sweida and to punish "all those proven to be involved". DAMASCUS STRIKES Israel, which has its own Druze community, has presented itself as a defender of the group, although some analysts say that is a pretext for pursuing its own military goal of keeping Syrian government forces as far from their shared frontier as possible. Following the fall of Syria's longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, the Israeli military took control of the United Nations-monitored demilitarised zone in the Golan Heights and conducted hundreds of strikes on military targets in Syria. After carrying out air strikes in Sweida province earlier this week in what it said was defence of the Druze, Israel launched a series of attacks on the capital Damascus on Wednesday. AFP images showed the side of a building in the defence ministry complex in ruins after one strike, as smoke billowed over the area. Israel said it had also struck a "military target" in the area of the presidential palace, while a Syrian interior ministry source reported strikes outside the capital in "the vicinity of the Mazzeh (military) airport". Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz called on Damascus to "leave the Druze in Sweida alone", and threatened to unleash "painful blows" until government forces pulled back. Syria's foreign ministry slammed the attacks as a "dangerous escalation", while Israel's military chief insisted his forces were "acting with responsibility, restraint and sound judgment". The Syrian health ministry said that at least three people were killed and 34 wounded in the strikes on Damascus. HALT TO SWEIDA OPERATIONS Announcing the new ceasefire on Wednesday, Syria's interior ministry said there would be a "total and immediate halt to all military operations", as well as the formation of a committee comprising government representatives and Druze spiritual leaders to supervise its implementation. An AFP correspondent in Sweida, however, reported hearing gunfire in the city even after the announcement. In a video carried by state television, Sheikh Youssef Jarboua, one of Syria's main Druze spiritual leaders, read out the 10 points of the accord, which also includes "the full integration of the province" of Sweida into the Syrian state. Until now, Druze areas have been controlled by fighters from the minority community. The latest fighting was the most serious outbreak of violence in Syria since government forces battled Druze fighters in Sweida province and near Damascus in April and May, leaving more than 100 people dead. The clashes between the Bedouin and the Druze that first prompted the government deployment were triggered by the kidnapping of a Druze vegetable merchant, according to the Observatory. The two groups have been at loggerheads for decades. The Islamist authorities have had strained relations with Syria's patchwork of religious and ethnic minorities, and have been repeatedly accused of not doing enough to protect them. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had expressed concern on Wednesday about the Israeli bombings, adding "we want it to stop". A State Department spokesperson said Washington was also asking Syria to "withdraw their military in order to enable all sides to de-escalate". Rubio later announced on X that all sides had "agreed on specific steps that will bring this troubling and horrifying situation to an end".
