Russia blamed for deadly hit on refineries
A suspected missile strike on an oilloading facility used by Turkeybacked opposition forces in northern Syria sparked an enormous blaze across a large area where oil tankers are normally parked, aerial and satellite images show.
Syrian opposition groups and at least one war monitor blamed Russia for the strike Friday night near the towns of Jarablus and alBab, near the border with Turkey. In a report, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Russian warships in the Mediterranean fired three missiles that struck oil refineries and tanker trucks in the region.
It said at least four people were killed and 24 others wounded in the strike, with more than 180 trucks and tankers burned.
Photos and videos from the air taken by the Syrian opposition’s civil defense group known as the White Helmets showed scores of workers struggling to extinguish burning oil tanker trucks as smoke blanketed the area.
Satellite images by Planet Labs Inc. analyzed by the Associated Press on Sunday also showed the aftermath of a large fire that tore through an area near Jarablus between Friday and Saturday morning.
The reports of missiles fired from a Russian warship — a rare occurrence — could not be independently verified and Russia, which is a main supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad in the country’s 10year civil war, has not commented on the accusations.
Turkey and allied Syrian opposition fighters control large parts of northern Syria.