Homs Military Academy tragedy: Aerial assault sparks speculation

On Thursday, drones carrying explosive ordnance appeared, targeting the Military Academy in Homs. The toll from the attack was more than eighty killed and two hundred seventy injured, according to the Syrian Ministry of Health.

But who is behind this attack? How many drones were used, and what type are they? 

No entity immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Syrian Army blamed terrorist organizations, while the foreign ministers of Syria and Iran, in a telephone call, considered that US-backed terrorist groups were behind such acts.

Observers agree that the scale of the losses indicates that the targeting was carried out by more than five drones, although their type has not been specified. So, where did the drones originate?

Two hypotheses are put forward:

The first one suggests that the drones may have been launched from the northern direction, specifically from Idlib, where several jihadist organizations are located, such as Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, the Turkistan Islamic Party, and the Katibat al-Muhajireen. 

These organizations possess drone technology, which has been targeted by Russian airstrikes in the past.

The second hypothesis is that the drones may have been launched from eastern Syria, where US forces are stationed. In this case, the drones would have traveled over a hundred kilometers. 

In such a scenario, the attack could be attributed to either the United States or Israel, as both possess this type of drone.

Given that Syria's response to the attack involved intense missile strikes on Idlib, the first hypothesis gains prominence. 

Additionally, it is worth noting the Russian warning that was issued before the attack, through the deputy head of the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria regarding the readiness of terrorist groups to carry out attacks on Russian and Syrian military sites using locally manufactured drones.