Death toll from drone attack on military academy in Syria exceeds 110

By Thursday morning, the death toll from an attack during an officer graduation ceremony in the city of Homs, Syria, had surpassed 110. Reuters reported that the drone attack on the graduation ceremony left dozens of officers and their family members dead and injured. According to a Syrian security source and an intelligence source from non-Syrian militias supporting Bashar al-Assad, Ali Mahmoud Abbas, the Syrian Defense Minister, was also present at the ceremony and left just minutes before the attack. Syrian sources close to the Assad government labeled the attack as 'terroristic.' The Syrian Ministry of Defense announced that several drones were used in the attack. While condemning the 'terrorists,' the ministry did not name any specific group. As of the time of this report, no group or organization has claimed responsibility for this deadly drone attack. Homs, Syria, is under the control of Bashar al-Assad's forces. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in London, reported that dozens more were injured. Some sources indicated that the Syrian Defense Minister had left the ceremony shortly before the attack. This is the second attack attributed to Israel against Iranian proxy militias in Syria.