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 U.S. 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 percent to $52.40 a barrel. -- Reuters