An attack on Syria’s major pipeline using explosives last Friday disrupted power supply, plunging some parts of the country into a power blackout before the situation was promptly restored, the electricity minister, Ghassan al-Zamel, revealed on Saturday.

According to the electricity minister, the perpetrators of the criminal activities carried out the attack using explosives lined along the natural gas pipeline located in the Southeast of the Syria capital, Damascus.  Although such events aren’t new in Syria, it marks the latest round sabotage on Syria’s oil and gas infrastructure.

Even though no party immediately claimed responsibility for the attack at the Deir Ali power station gas pipeline, the Islamic State took responsibility via posts published on their affiliate telegram channels on Saturday, Sept. 17.

The posts by the Islamic State claiming responsibility for the late Friday attack on the Syrian powerplant gas pipeline came nearly a day after the sabotage.

According to Al-Zamel, the attack on the country’s major pipeline feeding nearly 50% of the Syrian power stations, caused a drop in the pipeline’s transmission pressure, disrupting the normal operations in some of the country’s power plants.

During a decade-old conflict in Syria, the country’s oil and gas infrastructure was a target for repeated attacks. Currently, many oil fields are in areas outside government-controlled areas.

Syria is one of the countries endowed with large oil and gas reserves. However, since the fall of the Syrian regime, constant human rights violations, and a spate of conflicts between different warring factions, the country can hardly realize the economic prosperity that comes with such valuable natural resources.