Military police patrols arrested the most senior officer in charge of military fuel in Syria, known as the "King of Oil", an officer with the rank of general in the Assad regime.

After being stripped of his rank he was taken to a military court for questioning on various charges, including embezzlement, sabotage, and co-operation with outsiders.

This arrest comes shortly after a fire broke out in an Iranian oil tanker off the Syrian coast, and amid speculation at the time that this was deliberate arson- even before sources claimed the tanker was bombed by unidentified drones.

Several sources in the Syrian media have reported on the arrest of the general and the seizure of his, and his wife's, property. These sources (intentionally or unintentionally) portrayed Assad's regime as anti-corruption.

The Assad regime tries, from time to time, to present itself as an effective force operating in a state with a rule of law, at a time when the militias dominate all aspects of life and ignore Syria's security services.