Rebels blow up oil and gas pipelines in Syria

Syria’s state news agency says rebels have blown up two oil and gas pipelines in the northeast near the Iraqi border.

The agency, SANA, says the attack hit one oil and one gas pipeline on Thursday near the city of Deir al-Zour. The pipelines ran between Deir al-Zour and the city of Palmyra in central Syria.

Anti-regime activists posted a video online purporting to show the blast site, with thick smoke billowing into the sky. The video could not be independently verified.

SANA quoted an oil ministry official saying the lines were immediately shut off, the fires were extinguished and repairs would begin soon.

Rebels seeking to overthrow President Bashar Assad have repeatedly bombed such pipelines.

Activists say more than 33,000 people have been killed in 19 months of violence.