A drone attack on a military academy in Homs, in Syria’s Homs, killed at least 100 people.

Homs: More than 100 people were killed in a deadly drone attack on a military academy in Syria’s Homs on Thursday. State media attributed the dreadful attack to ‘terrorist organizations,’ as reported by AFP, citing a Britain-based war monitor.

In a separate incident, on Thursday, United States-led forces in northern Syria shot down a drone. This action followed Turkish attacks that, according to US-allied Syrian Kurdish forces, resulted in the deaths of at least nine people. The increase in violence in northeastern Syria is believed to be connected to a recent bomb attack near the Turkish parliament, which Kurdish militants have claimed responsibility for.

In Homs, “armed terrorist organisations” targeted “the graduation ceremony for officers of the military academy”, an army statement carried by official news agency SANA said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring organisation based in the United Kingdom, has updated its figures, reporting that the recent incident has resulted in “more than 100 fatalities, with approximately half of them being military graduates, and including 14 civilians.” Additionally, it stated that at least 125 individuals were injured in the incident.

Health Minister Hassan al-Ghobash informed media that the “preliminary” toll was 80 dead “including six women and six children” and around 240 wounded.

As of now, there was no immediate claim of responsibility of the dreadful attack. As per the military statement, the attack was carried out with ‘explosive-laden drones’.

Meanwhile, The Syrian Government has declared three days of mourning starting Friday. Thursday in Idlib region, residents reported wide and heavy regime bombardment.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep concerned on the drone attack, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. The UN chief “is also deeply concerned about reports of retaliatory shelling” in northwest Syria, Dujarric added.