The death toll from the drone attack carried out on Thursday against a military academy in the central Syrian province of Homs increased today to 89 and the number of injured to 277, in the deadliest action in years against a government target of the president, Bashar al Assad.

According to the latest balance provided this morning by the Ministry of Health, the number of deaths has now risen to 89. among them 31 women and five childrenalthough the count does not specify how many of the victims are civilians and how many belonged to the Arab country’s Army.

Drones equipped with explosives attacked a military academy yesterdayshortly after a parade ended and graduation ceremony, an event also attended by family members of military personnel, as well as representatives of the Syrian security body.

Among those present was the Syrian Defense Minister, Ali Mahmud Abbas, who attended the graduation ceremony but left the place about twenty minutes before the attack occurred. The Government claimed that the attack was carried out by “terrorists”, although so far no group has assumed responsibility for this “unprecedented” action against targets of forces loyal to the Syrian president.

The military academy attacked is located in the city of Homs, capital of the province of the same name. Syrian government forces have been in full control of the city since 2014, when the rebels withdrew from the center under a truce agreement brokered by the UN, since after the popular uprisings of 2011 The city had become an opposition fiefdom.