Beirut : Syria's health minister has raised the casualty tolls from a drone attack on Thursday that hit a packed military graduation ceremony in the central city of Homs to 80 killed and 240 wounded. It was one of the deadliest attacks on the Syrian army in recent years, with the country's conflict now in its thirteenth year.
Health Minister Hassan al-Ghabash said that civilians, including six children, and military personnel were among those killed. There were concerns the death toll could rise further as many of the wounded were in serious condition. In an earlier statement, Syria's military said that drones laden with explosives targeted the ceremony packed with young officers and their families as it was wrapping up in Homs. It accused insurgents backed by known international forces of the attack, without naming any particular group.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep concern at the drone attack in Homs as well as reports of retaliatory shelling in northwest Syria, his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.
The military has not provided any casualty numbers but Syria's state television said the government announced a three-day state of mourning, starting on Friday. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, and the pro-government Sham FM radio station earlier reported the strikes.
