The water supply in the Syrian capital of Damascus has been poisoned, authorities say. Al-Jazeera reports that the "rebels" against the Assad regime are suspected, while the Iranian news agency says it was "terrorists." Both are referring to the same group.
Either way, Syrian authorities say they have cut water supplies to Damascus as a result. The Al-Fija spring, northwest of the capital, was reportedly contaminated with diesel oil.
Water reserves are now being used to meet the city's demands. The problem is expected to be solved within a few days, according to the water authority.
The Al-Fija spring, which supplies the capital with much of its water, is located in the mountainous Wadi Barada area near the Lebanese border. The area is currently held by the Sunni rebels.
Both the rebels and the government have been accused, during the course of the five-year-old civil war, of cutting water and electricity supplies in Syria, causing untold suffering to civilians. Half the total water production capacity in the country has been damaged in whole or part.
An estimated half-million people have been killed in the war, and nearly 11 million Syrians - half the country's pre-war population - have been displaced from their homes.