Oil prices jump after US launches missile strike in Syria
SINGAPORE: Oil prices soared on Friday after the United States launched dozens of cruise missiles at an airbase in Syria.
A US official said more than 50 Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired from US Navy destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean against several targets on a base in Homs. The operation appeared to have already been completed, a second official said.
After tepid trading before the news, Brent crude futures, the international benchmark for oil, jumped to $55.60 per barrel by 0146 GMT, up 72 cents, or 1.3 per cent from their last close.
US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures climbed 70 cents, or 1.4 per cent to $52.40 a barrel.
A US official said more than 50 Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired from US Navy destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean against several targets on a base in Homs. The operation appeared to have already been completed, a second official said.
After tepid trading before the news, Brent crude futures, the international benchmark for oil, jumped to $55.60 per barrel by 0146 GMT, up 72 cents, or 1.3 per cent from their last close.
US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures climbed 70 cents, or 1.4 per cent to $52.40 a barrel.
