Syria erupts in unrest; Mass protests VIDEO

Demonstrators burned tires and blocked major roads, including the highway connecting the capital Damascus with the industrial hub of Aleppo, after the Syrian government raised the price of diesel by 40 percent on Saturday, to 175 Syrian pounds per liter, equivalent to 2.24 KM per liter.

The price increases have further intensified the pressure on Syrians, who have been grappling with an economic crisis for years. The United Nations Development Programme estimates that 90 percent of Syrians live below the poverty line, compared with around one-third of the population before the Syrian civil war began in 2011.

As part of the largest of several price increases introduced since the beginning of the war with Iran, the government also raised household and industrial gas prices by nine percent, the price of 95-octane gasoline by 28 percent, and 90-octane gasoline by 26 percent.

Demonstrators also blocked convoys of oil tankers heading toward refineries in central Syria, while some called for the removal of the energy and economy ministers, as well as the director of the Syrian Oil Company.

Energy Ministry spokesman Abdulhamid Salat said on Sunday that the price increases were a temporary measure prompted by higher procurement costs on the global market and Syria’s heavy reliance on imports. He added that prices could be raised or lowered depending on changing circumstances.

Syria relies heavily on Russian oil, importing around 60,000 barrels per day this year, although Damascus has told Washington that it is prepared to significantly reduce those purchases.

That supply has come under increasing pressure from Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries, which have reduced production and prompted Moscow to restrict gasoline and diesel exports.

The prices reflected not only the cost of crude oil, but also shortages of refined products, as well as higher refining, transportation and supply costs, Salat said in a statement.

The shortage was further exacerbated by the three-month shutdown of the Baniyas refinery, Syria’s largest, for its first comprehensive overhaul.

Following the latest price increase, the price of 95-octane gasoline has risen by around 86 percent since February, while the price of diesel has more than doubled. The benchmark Brent crude oil price has increased by around 44 percent, from $72.48 to $104.61 per barrel.