BEIRUT, October 8. /TASS/. Units of the Syrian armed forces shot down seven unmanned aerial vehicles carrying explosives above the city of Aleppo and the countryside of the Hama province, the SANA news agency quoted the Arab Republic’s defense ministry as saying on Sunday.

"Terrorist sent drones, stuffed with explosives, on a mission to damage infrastructure facilities, governmental offices and commercial enterprises in populated areas protected by the government's troops," the statement says.

The Syrian armed forces responded by "opening air, rocket and mortar fire on the adversary’s command posts, fortifications and warehouses."

The strikes targeted militant-infested mountainous areas of the Idlib and Latakia provinces.

As many as 89 people were killed in a terrorist attack on a military academy in the Syrian city of Homs on October 5. The number of those injured has reached 277. The majority of the victims were family members of Syrian servicemen, invited to a graduation ceremony at the academy.