Syrian Railways Director General Mudar Al-Araj said on Saturday that the country's railway sector was hit by losses estimated to be over $1 billion due to the war waged on the country, noting that the illegal sanctions have prevented the rehabilitation of the vital infrastructure.

"The losses of Syria's rail sector as a result of the war have exceeded $1 billion. The railways, in view of their strategic importance, have become a direct target of armed terrorist groups seeking to destabilize the situation and damage the national economy," Al-Araj told Russian news agency Sputnik.

Read more: US sanctions on Syria hinder aid supply, leave thousands under rubble

A large part of the railway facilities has been destroyed by Western-backed terrorist groups, he noted, adding that sanctions imposed on the Arab country hindered the imports of necessary equipment and materials to restore the sector.

"This forces us to look for options for solving the problem based on the available opportunities in order to gradually restore this important sector," the official confirmed.

The devastating earthquake that struck Syria on February 6 further damaged the railways, he said, revealing that Damascus and Moscow are aiming to cooperate in the reconstruction efforts and development of the sector.

"We are in constant coordination with the Russian side within the framework of protocols on cooperation and the work of the joint Russian-Syrian commission... to consider all ideas and expectations with the relevant companies of the Russian side... and to come to a cooperation format which will allow to carry out large-scale reconstruction of the railway sector and to continue management of infrastructure of the Syrian railroads, including on the Tartus-Homs-Mheen-Ash Sharqiyah-Al Bukamal line [checkpoints on Iraqi border]," the official said.

Read more: US looting responsible for Syrian humanitarian crisis: Chinese FM

- Theft, sanctions, and destruction -

Besides being an occupation that backs armed groups for its own operations and agenda in the region, the US occupation forces continue to steal Syrian oil by smuggling it from their bases in Syria to those in Iraq.

Convoys of tens of vehicles, including tankers loaded with stolen oil from oil fields occupied by US forces in Syria, are frequently seen crossing toward northern Iraq, in addition to trucks loaded with military equipment.

Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, during a speech at the 77th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 77) in September 2022 in New York, said that the material damage caused by foreign forces illegally present in Syria amounted to $107 billion since 2011.

Mekdad stated that Syria would seek compensation from the US, which is currently occupying Syrian territory rich with the country's resources and looting them.

While Syria's Foreign and Expatriates Ministry said in a statement also in December 2022 that the US occupation forces and their affiliated military groups' systematic lootings of Syrian oil, wheat, and other national resources have amounted to direct losses valued at $25.9 billion and indirect losses valued at over $86 billion - almost $112 billion in total.