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The death toll from the October 5 drone attack on the Syrian Military Academy near the central city Homs has risen to 89, according to the Ministry of Health.
The attack took place as new officers were gathered with their relatives and friends in the square of the academy to celebrate minutes after the end of the graduation ceremony, which was attended by Defense Minister Major General Ali Mahmoud Abbas and senior officers from the Syrian Arab Army (SAA).
Civilians and service members were killed in the attack on the academy, the Ministry of Defense said in a statement, adding “terrorist” groups had used drones to carry it out.
In a press lease on October 6 morning, the Ministry of Health said that 31 of those killed in the attack were women and five others were children. At least 277 other people were wounded, according to the ministry.
The Ministry of Defense did not specify a terrorist organization and no group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
However, many observers speculated that the attack was carried out by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an al-Qaeda offshoot that controls the northwestern region of Greater Idlib. The terrorist group and its allies attacked several Syrian and Russian military installations with drones in recent years.
The Syrian defense and foreign minister vowed in separate written statements to respond “with full force” to the deadly attack.
The SAA have already carried out a series of artillery strikes against positions of HTS and its allies in Greater Idlib. More retaliatory strikes will likely target the region in coming days and weeks if HTS responsibility for the drone attack is confirmed.
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