<\/p>\n
Syria began burying its dead on Friday after a drone attack<\/a> on a military academy graduation ceremony in Homs killed dozens, while Damascus pummelled opposition-held areas in response to the assault by \u201cterrorist organisations\u201d.<\/p>\n In one of the bloodiest single attacks on the army since the start of Syria\u2019s war<\/a> in 2011, Thursday\u2019s assault came just after the ceremony attended by officers and their families, killing and wounding both military personnel and civilians.<\/p>\n State media said on Friday that 89 had died, including 31 women and five children, with 277 other people wounded.<\/p>\n Dozens of distraught victims\u2019 relatives gathered outside the Homs military hospital since the early morning, an AFP<\/em> correspondent said.<\/p>\n A woman in a black dress adorned with white flowers was overwhelmed with grief at the loss of her son.<\/p>\n \u201cDo not go, my beloved,\u201d she cried. \u201cThis sleep does not befit you.\u201d The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, reported a heavier toll of 123 dead, including 54 civilians, 39 of them women and children. It said at least 150 people were wounded.<\/p>\n In a rare move since the war broke out, the government has declared three days of mourning starting Friday, with flags flying at half-mast.<\/p>\n Defence Minister Ali Mahmoud Abbas attended the first funerals for around 30 people, including both military and civilians.<\/p>\n Military personnel saluted as rows of caskets draped in Syrian flags were carried one by one and placed into ambulances for transportation for burial.<\/p>\n Videos circulating on social media have showed panic and chaos during the attack, with people falling to the ground and others pleading for help.<\/p>\n \u201cMartyrdom, dignity and national pride come at a great cost,\u201d Abbas told victims\u2019 families, according to a statement broadcast on state television. Abbas had been present at the graduation ceremony but left just minutes before the attack, eyewitnesses and the Observatory said.<\/p>\n At the military hospital, Khawlah, 33, ws searching among the coffins for her brother.<\/p>\n \u201cAmjad did not die, I died,\u201d she told AFP<\/em>, grief-stricken.<\/p>\n No group has claimed responsibility for the assault, but the Syrian army has accused \u201carmed terrorist organisations\u201d of the attack with \u201cexplosive-laden drones\u201d, vowing to \u201crespond with full force\u201d.<\/p>\n The Syrian army on Thursday began a bombing campaign on opposition-held areas in the country\u2019s northwest in apparent retaliation.<\/p>\n The Observatory said Friday that 15 civilians had been killed, adding that Russian warplanes carried out at least five strikes in the Idlib area.<\/p>\n Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the academy attack and expressed his condolences to his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad, the Kremlin said Friday.<\/p>\n \u201cWe intend to keep up our close cooperation with our Syrian partners to fight all forms\u2026 of terrorism,\u201d Putin said, quoted in a Kremlin statement.<\/p>\n Homs province was a key opposition stronghold in the early days of Syria\u2019s conflict. The government regained control over the province in 2018.<\/p>\n Swathes of Idlib province and areas bordering the provinces of Aleppo, Hama and Latakia are controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, led by Al-Qaeda\u2019s former Syria branch.<\/p>\n HTS and the Islamic State militant group have used drones to attack government-held areas and Syrian and Russian military targets, including in recent months, according to the Observatory.<\/p>\n Panic and chaos<\/h2>\n
\nThe blood of those who died \u201cis dear, but the nation is dearer\u201d, he added.<\/p>\n\u2018Deeply concerned\u2019<\/h2>\n