Type
History[edit]
Establishment[edit]
Homs Military Academy was founded in 1933 by France during the Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon. During the period of French administration the academy provided officer training for the Troupes Speciales du Levant - the locally recruited Syrian and Lebanese units forming part of the Army of the Levant.[1][2]
Continuing in existence after the end of the Mandate in 1943 and throughout various political changes, it remains the oldest and largest military service institution in Syria.[3] At first, it was primarily an academy for infantry officers, while graduates who selected the other services went on to additional specialized training at other army-operated specialist schools. Graduates were often selected for a military academy in the Soviet Union.[4]
Homs Academy admitted entrants who did not possess high level education qualifications, as well as offering a relatively rare rapid career path for graduates. In addition to large numbers of Syrian and Lebanese nationals it also offered officer training to French citizens who were denied by class or education from attending comparable academies within France.[5]
Syrian civil war[edit]
On 23 July 2011, there were reports of explosions at the Homs Academy during the Syrian revolution, which later denied by the Syrian military.[6] On 15 April 2012, the Syrian Army targeted the neighborhood of al-Waer from the nearby Homs Academy during the military confrontation in the city.[7] On 30 August 2013, the academy was evacuated and its military equipment moved, to avoid a possible air attack from the United States following the Ghouta chemical attack.[8]
On 5 October 2023, a drone attack during a graduation ceremony at the academy killed over 100 people.[9]