There were mass protests across Syria over a sharp fuel price hike announced over the weekend, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
The agency notes that these are the largest protest demonstrations since the overthrow of former President Bashar Assad nearly two years ago.
Protesters burned tires and blocked key roads, including the highway connecting the capital Damascus with the industrial center of Aleppo, after the government on Saturday raised the price of diesel fuel by 40% - to 175 Syrian pounds ($1.32) per liter.
The increase puts additional pressure on Syrians after years of severe economic crisis. The United Nations Development Programme estimates that 90% of Syria's population lives below the poverty line, up from about a third before the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011.
In the sharpest of several price hikes since the start of the war with Iran, the government also raised the price of gas for domestic and industrial use by about 9%, 95-octane gasoline (A-95) by 28% to 195 liras, and 90-octane gasoline by 26% to 185 liras.
Protesters also blocked convoys of crude oil tankers traveling to refineries in central Syria. Some demonstrators demanded the resignations of the ministers of energy and economy, as well as the head of the Syrian National Oil Company. “We do not want higher salaries. "All we want is lower prices for diesel and other fuels," Yasser Salim, a protester in Aleppo, told Reuters.
Another protester, Bassam al-Ali, addressed President Ahmed al-Sharaa directly, saying the situation had become unbearable. "Border crossings bring in millions of dollars. We don't want new roundabouts or shopping malls. We just want to live," he said.
Energy Ministry spokesman Abdulhamid Salat said on Sunday that the price hike was a temporary measure dictated by higher supply costs on international markets and Syria's heavy dependence on imports. He said prices could be adjusted up or down as conditions change.
Syria relies heavily on Russian crude, importing about 60,000 barrels a day this year, although Damascus has told Washington it is ready to significantly reduce those purchases. Supplies have come under increasing pressure after Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries cut output and Moscow imposed restrictions on gasoline and diesel exports, Reuters reported.
The prices reflect not only the cost of crude oil but also a shortage of refined fuels, as well as higher processing, transportation and delivery costs, Abdulhamid Salat said in a statement.
Imad Abu Ras, a 44-year-old taxi driver, said passengers were already objecting to the higher fares. "Now with the fuel prices, vegetables and everything else will become more expensive. What is the solution? Should we steal? "We can't steal," he said.