Damascus blasts US strikes on Dayr al-Zawr as cover-up to steal more oil in eastern Syria

Syria has condemned in the strongest terms the United States military for carrying out multiple air strikes in the eastern parts of the Arab country against resistance groups, saying the raids are a cover-up for Washington's ferocious attempts to further plunder energy resources there.

Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates made the remarks in a statement on Saturday, after the US conducted airstrikes in Syria on Thursday, blaming Damascus for a drone attack that purportedly killed an American contractor, wounded another, and also hurt five US troops.

The statement denounced the brutal attack launched by the US forces against some areas in Dayr al-Zawr province, which claimed the lives of a number of people, left several others injured, and caused property damage in the targeted regions.

“The US allegations about the targeted sites are nothing but a failed attempt aimed at justifying the act of aggression, which constitutes a blatant violation of Syria’s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity,” it added.

The Syrian foreign ministry also said that such hostile US acts are in line with the attacks that the Israeli regime and the Daesh Takfiri terrorists have launched against local residents, and serve as a cover-up for the continued looting of Syrian oil by US occupation forces.

“Syria repeats its demand for an immediate end to the presence of American occupation troops, increased authority of the Damascus government over all districts in the country, and cessation of Washington’s support and sponsorship of separatist and terrorist groups,” the statement also read.

It also urged the international community to condemn the latest Israeli air strikes, stand with the conflict-stricken Arab country, and help it preserve its territorial integrity and national unity.

The Pentagon said in a statement that the attack against US personnel took place at a base near Hasakah in northeast Syria at approximately 1:38 p.m. local time (1038 GMT) on Thursday.

Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said the strikes in Syria against the positions of resistance fighters were carried out at the direction of President Joe Biden and targeted facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps.

However, local sources pointed out that the target was not an Iran-aligned military post as the US military claimed, but rather a rural development center and a grain center in Hrabash neighborhood, near Dayr al-Zawr military airport. No Iranian was killed in the act of aggression.

MG