At least 80 dead after drone attack on military graduation ceremony in Syria There were no diplomatic successes in Granada – but Berset still draws a positive conclusion

At least 80 people were killed in a drone strike during a graduation ceremony at a military academy in Syria. As Syrian Health Minister Hassan Al-Ghobash explained on Thursday evening, this should also include women and children. According to this data, at least 240 people were also injured. The number of victims is expected to rise even further. The death toll is already over 100, according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Syrian government has declared three days of national mourning from Friday, state news agency Sana reported. The Syrian army had said that “armed terrorist organizations” had attacked the graduation ceremony of officer students at the military university. The army wants to respond to the “cowardly act of terror” “with the utmost seriousness”.

Videos circulating on social media showed images of people screaming and running at the ceremony site. Injured people lay on the ground with blood-soaked clothing. According to the Observatory, the ceremony was attended by Syrian military officials as well as the defense minister, who reportedly left the ceremony before the attack began.

The Syrian Observatory suspected that it could be an attack by the militant Islamic militia Haiat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) or the terrorist group Islamic State (IS). Both want to overthrow the government of President Bashar al-Assad. This now controls two-thirds of the country, including Homs province.

Immediately after the attack on the military academy, the Syrian government reportedly attacked several areas on the outskirts of Idlib in the northwest of the country. Idlib is considered the last rebel stronghold in the country’s civil war. According to the Weisshelme rescue organization, at least five civilians were killed in the attacks. Accordingly, there were also 38 injured.

The conflict in Syria began in the spring of 2011 with anti-government protests. The government has taken violent action against this. This later developed into a civil war with international involvement. There is no political solution to the conflict in sight.

(hah/sda/dpa)