Syrian activists say rebels fighting against the regime in Damascus have taken control of the country's largest dam on the Euphrates River in the province of Raqa.
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on February 11 that the rebels are now guarding the dam's two entrances.
Syrian activists said the insurgents seized the entrances after taking control of the nearby town of Al-Thawra.
The watchdog described the development as the "biggest economic loss for the regime since the start of the revolution."
The Euphrates Dam can generate up to 880 megawatts of electricity. The reservoir behind the dam, Lake Assad, has more than 14 billion cubic meters of water.
The lake was named after Hafez al-Assad, the father and predecessor of the current president, Bashar al-Assad.
Deadly Car Explosion At Turkish Border
Elsewhere in Syria, a car has exploded at a frontier crossing on the Turkish border.
Turkish media reports said at least five people were killed and many more were injured in the blast near the Turkish town of Reyhanli on February 11.
The reports said the explosion was caused by a car bomb.
The mayor of Reyhanli told CNN Turk TV network that four of those killed were Turkish nationals and that the car which exploded had Syrian license plates.
More than a dozen other vehicles were damaged by the blast.
The border area has been the scene of often fierce fighting between Syrian government forces and rebels trying to topple President Bashar al-Assad's regime during the country's nearly two-year-old conflict.
Turkey is a strong supporter of the rebels and harbors thousands of Syrian refugees
Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/syrian-rebels-control-countrys-largest-dam/24898808.html
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