BEIRUT, October 6. /TASS/. Syrian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ali Mahmoud Abbas led the funeral ceremony for officers and cadets killed in the October 5 terrorist attack on a military college in the city of Homs, the Dubai-based Al Hadath TV channel reported.
"Syria will not forget its loyal sons, graduates of the college, who fell victim to the treacherous terrorist attack," Abbas said. "Our people paid a high price for the treachery of those who sold out to external enemies and served their agendas," he pointed out. The general opined that "young Syrian officers will always defend the interests of the homeland with courage."
The top defense official attended the graduation ceremony on October 5. He was on the podium when four drones struck the college.
According to the Syrian Health Ministry, 89 people were killed and 277 were injured as a result of the attack. The country has declared three days of mourning for the dead from October 6, flags were lowered in the country, all sports, cultural and entertainment events were canceled.
As the Arab Socialist Union Party (part of the National Progressive Front - TASS) said in its address, "the terrorists' criminal atrocity was committed on the eve of October 6, the 50th anniversary of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, during which the Syrian army wrote bright pages in its annals." "The terrorists would not have dared to take such a step if they did not have the support of the US, Turkey and Israel," the statement stressed.