Drone attack on Syrian military academy claims over 100 lives, leaves 125 injured
Drone attack on Syrian military academy: In a tragic incident, a drone attack on a Syrian military academy resulted in the loss of more than 100 lives, according to a war monitor. State media attributed the drone strike in government-held Homs to "terrorist organizations." Simultaneously, Turkish air raids in the Kurdish-held northeast of the war-torn country claimed the lives of at least nine people, as a response to a prior bomb attack threat issued by Ankara.
The attack unfolded in the central Syrian city of Homs, where "armed terrorist organizations" targeted a "graduation ceremony for officers of the military academy," as reported by an army statement carried by the official news agency SANA. The attack resulted in casualties, with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights revising the death toll to "more than 100," including roughly half being military graduates and 14 civilians. Additionally, around 125 individuals sustained injuries.
_f7ea0ad8f6b3014042278a9392f746ad_1280X720.webp)
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which employed "explosive-laden drones," according to the military statement, with a pledge to respond vigorously. The government declared a three-day mourning period, starting on Friday, as reported by state television.
On the same day, in the rebel-controlled Idlib region, there were reports of extensive and heavy regime bombardment. The Observatory noted that four civilians lost their lives, and others were wounded during the assault on multiple towns in the northwestern opposition stronghold. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, led by the former local Al-Qaeda branch, controls significant parts of the Idlib region and has previously used drones to target government-held areas.
In separate overnight incidents, Syrian army shelling claimed the lives of an elderly woman and four of her children in a rebel-held area of Aleppo province, according to rescue workers and the Observatory.
Turkish airstrikes in Hasakeh province, located in Kurdish-held northeast Syria, resulted in the deaths of six members of the internal security agency, as stated by the Kurdish force's media center. A worker at a site in the province was also killed, as confirmed by Farhad Shami, spokesperson for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the de facto army of the Kurds. The Kurdish authorities reported that "two civilians" were also casualties of a strike on a motorcycle. Turkey has regularly conducted airstrikes in Syria's Kurdish semi-autonomous region.
In response to a weekend attack in the Turkish capital, which was attributed to militants from Syria, Ankara issued warnings of more intense cross-border airstrikes. The US-backed SDF led the campaign that ousted Islamic State group fighters from their last Syrian territories in 2019. Turkey views the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), dominant in the SDF, as an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies. Following the attack in Ankara, Turkey initiated strikes on the PKK's positions in northern Iraq.
Correspondents in Syria's northeast observed black smoke emanating from oil sites near Qahtaniyeh, near the Turkish border. Two power stations in the area and the vicinity of a dam were also struck. The SDF's Shami reported that the strikes targeted both military and civilian sites, noting an escalation since Turkey's threats.
In the market of Qamishli city in Hasakeh province, vendors expressed their concerns about the deteriorating situation. Hassan al-Ahmad, a 35-year-old fabric merchant, stated, "The situation is worsening every day. Turkey doesn't let us breathe." SDF commander Mazloum Abdi denied claims that the attackers in Ankara had transited through their region, accusing Turkey of seeking pretexts to justify ongoing attacks in the region.
The Kurdish administration called on "the international community, the international coalition," and Russia to take a stance capable of deterring Turkey from its assaults. State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel expressed the United States' concern about the military escalation in northern Syria. The United States, Russia, and Turkey all maintain troops in various areas of Syria.
Between 2016 and 2019, Turkey conducted three major operations in northern Syria against Kurdish forces. The Syrian conflict, which began in 2011 with a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests, has claimed the lives of over half a million people and evolved into a complex battlefield involving foreign armies, militias, and jihadists.
- With inputs from agencies
