In a heart-wrenching turn of events, family members of victims gathered outside a military hospital in the central city of Homs to collect the bodies of their loved ones, who fell victim to a horrific drone attack during a crowded military graduation ceremony. The devastating incident unfolded on Thursday at the Homs Military Academy, resulting in one of Syria's deadliest single attacks in recent memory.
The toll from Thursday's strike was staggering, with 89 people losing their lives, including 31 women and five children. Additionally, up to 277 individuals sustained injuries, and the death toll may yet rise as some of the wounded remain in critical condition. As a sign of mourning and respect for the victims, Syria declared a three-day state of mourning commencing on Friday.
Syria's military promptly issued a statement, attributing the drone attack to explosive-laden drones that targeted the graduation ceremony—a gathering of young officers and their families as the event came to a close. While not naming any specific group, the military pointed fingers at insurgents allegedly "backed by known international forces" and vowed to respond with full force against these "terrorist organizations" wherever they may be found.
The aftermath of this brutal attack is expected to reverberate throughout the country's northwest, an area that had experienced relative calm since a ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey in March 2020 effectively ended a three-month Russian-backed government offensive against insurgents.
As of now, no group has claimed immediate responsibility for the attack. This tragic incident occurs against the backdrop of Syria's ongoing conflict, which has tragically persisted for 13 years and claimed the lives of half a million people.
Overnight, Syrian troops launched an assault on the last major rebel-held region in parts of Idlib and Aleppo provinces, causing casualties in the town of Daret Azeh. The opposition's Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, reported at least three deaths and more than 15 injuries.
In Homs, a somber atmosphere prevailed as hundreds of mourners, dressed in black and overcome with grief, gathered outside the Abdul-Qader Shaqfa Military Hospital. There, the bodies of 30 victims, shrouded in Syrian flags, were placed in ambulances to be transported to their hometowns for burial.
Among those devastated by the loss was Army Lt. Ibrahim Shaaban, who came to collect the body of his fiancée, Raneem Quba, along with her father, Mohammed, and younger sister, Rima. They had all perished while attending the graduation of Raneem's brother, Lt. Hussein Quba.
"I feel that my back was broken," Shaaban said, struggling to hold back tears while standing by Raneem's coffin. "She was not only a fiancée but a mother, a sister, and a friend."
Legislator Bassam Mohammed condemned the attackers, describing their targeting of a place where civilians were present as a "terrorist criminal act" with the intent of causing a high number of casualties.
Syrian Defense Minister Gen. Ali Abbas offered comfort to the grieving families outside the hospital, while an opposition war monitor reported that Abbas had left the graduation ceremony shortly before the attack.
One survivor, Lt. Jaafar Mohammed, recounted the terrifying moment when the explosion occurred during a family photo session on the platform. "I was thrown to the ground," said Mohammed, who suffered an arm injury. Tragically, his brother lost his life in the attack, and his father and younger brother sustained injuries.
The roots of Syria's crisis trace back to peaceful protests against President Bashar Assad's government in March 2011, which subsequently escalated into a full-blown civil war following the government's brutal crackdown on demonstrators. The balance of power shifted in Assad's favor in 2015, thanks to crucial military support from Russia, Iran, and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.