In a heart-wrenching scene, mourners gathered in the central Syrian city of Homs on Friday to bid farewell to the victims of a devastating drone attack that targeted a military academy. This ruthless aerial assault occurred immediately following a graduation ceremony for officers, leaving a grim toll on both military personnel and their families.
According to state media reports on Friday morning, the death toll from Thursday’s attack stood at a staggering 89 people, including 31 women and five children. Additionally, 277 individuals were left wounded, further highlighting the magnitude of the tragedy.
The Homs military hospital became a gathering point for distraught family members, where scenes of sorrow and grief played out. One mother, dressed in black adorned with white flowers, wept for her son, imploring him not to leave this world in such a manner.
However, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, reported an even grimmer toll, indicating that 123 people had lost their lives in the attack, including 54 civilians, with 39 of them being women and children. Furthermore, their report suggested that at least 150 people sustained injuries.
Among those paying their respects at the first funerals were Defense Minister Ali Mahmoud Abbas, who joined the grieving families of around 30 victims, encompassing both military personnel and civilians.
While no specific group claimed responsibility for the attack, the Syrian army swiftly pointed fingers at “armed terrorist organizations” for deploying “explosive-laden drones.” They vowed a resolute response.
Social media circulated videos capturing the chaotic aftermath at the academy, with scenes of people in panic and despair, some desperately pleading for assistance.
In a grim turn of events, the rebel-held Idlib region, the last stronghold of armed opposition in northwest Syria, reported heavy government bombardment in what appeared to be retaliation. The Observatory later updated the civilian casualty count, stating that 15 innocent lives were lost.
Notably, swathes of Idlib province and bordering areas controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly Al-Qaeda’s Syria branch, have previously used drones to launch attacks on government-held areas.
Expressing his deep concern, United Nations chief Antonio Guterres, through his spokesman Stephane Dujarric, acknowledged the gravity of the drone attack and the ensuing retaliatory shelling.
In response to this heart-wrenching tragedy, the Syrian government declared three days of mourning, commencing on Friday, as the nation grapples with the devastating loss of life.
