France setting up more bases in Syria - located about as far away from ISIS as you can get without being in Turkey.
The major oil fields are in the North East of Syria. Controling Raqqa is key to controlling the oil.
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Map published by Turkey after Macron met with the SDF leaders in Paris on 30th March:
March 30, 2018
French support of YPG/PKK draws reaction
The ringleaders of the SDF, which in reality is the Syrian branch of the PKK terrorist organization, met Thursday with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.
Based on their statements, several French media outlets reported that France promised to send troops to Syria’s northern Manbij region to support the SDF.
The French presidency had said earlier in a statement that Macron hopes “a dialogue could be established between the SDF and Turkey with help from France and the international community".
In response, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: “If the remark [by the French presidency] that ‘we can be a mediator between Turkey and the SDF’ is true, it far exceeds the limit of the person who says that.”
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/french-military-cooperating-with-ypg-pkk-terrorists/1104265
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Feb 14, 2018
Russia Is Taking Over Syria’s Oil And Gas
In accordance with an energy cooperation framework agreement signed in late January, Russia will have exclusive rights to produce oil and gas in Syria.
The agreement goes significantly beyond that, stipulating the modalities of the rehabilitation of damaged rigs and infrastructure, energy advisory support, and training a new generation of Syrian oilmen. Still, the main international aspect and the key piece of this move is the final and unconditional consolidation of Russian interests in the Middle East.
Before the onset of the blood-drenched Civil War, Syrian oil production wavered around 380,000 barrels per day. It has declined for some time then, since its all-time peak production rate of 677,000 barrels per day in 2002. Although the Islamic State was allegedly driven underground, the current output still stands at a devastating 14–15,000 barrels per day.
As for gas, the production decline proved to be lower (it fell from 8 BCm/year to 3.5 BCm/year) due to its greater significance within the domestic economy. 90 percent of the produced gas in Syria was used for electricity production (as opposed to oil, which was either refined domestically or exported), and in view of this, the government took extra care to retake gas fields first as the prospects of reconquest became viable enough.
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Russia-Is-Taking-Over-Syrias-Oil-And-Gas.html