DAMASCUS (Dispatches) – 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 Syrian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
Terrorists 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 said.
The Syrian armed forces responded by “opening air, rocket and mortar fire on the adversary’s command posts, fortifications and warehouses, it added.
The strikes targeted militant-infested mountainous areas of the Idlib and Latakia provinces, according to TASS.
Dozens of 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.
On Saturday, over 20 people were wounded in drone attacks by the militants against towns in the northern province of Aleppo, the pro-government Sham FM radio reported.
The attack on the towns of Nubol and Zahra in the countryside of Aleppo resulted in the injuries of at least 20 people and caused substantial damage to the residential houses, according to the report.
In the northwestern province of Latakia, mortar fire by the rebel groups damaged electricity grids in the villages of Tala and Kafriya in the northern countryside of Latakia.
The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said the miitant drone attacks on Saturday came in response to the airstrikes on their positions.
The incidents are part of a rising trend of drone attacks in Syria in recent months, with rebel factions employing drones to target government installations and infrastructure.
Conversely, the Syrian government and its allies have also harnessed drone technology for offensive operations against militant strongholds.