Newsletters
Jordanian airstrikes killed five civilians in southern Syria on Monday, including women and children, Syrian state media reported, as Damascus condemned the operation and temporarily closed a key border crossing.
The strikes hit several locations in the countryside of Daraa province as Jordan retaliated for a deadly attack on a funeral at Hamoud Church in Karak, southern Jordan, on Oct. 23, the Jordanian military stated earlier.
The Syrian government said Jordan carried out the operation without prior coordination, contradicting the Jordanian military's account.
Syria's official news agency SANA reported that the government had launched a comprehensive investigation into the airstrikes, which also left an unspecified number of people wounded.
Damascus expressed solidarity with the affected families and objected to military operations conducted on Syrian territory.
Syrian authorities also stressed the importance of security coordination along the shared border while keeping communication channels open with Jordan to address the incident.
Meanwhile, Syria's General Authority for Border Crossings and Customs temporarily closed the Nasib crossing on the Jordanian border, suspending passenger travel and commercial traffic in both directions.
The authority cited security developments in Daraa province and said the closure aimed to protect travelers and border personnel.
Jordan's military described the airstrikes as part of an operation named "Jordanian Deterrence - Hamoud," targeting what it called terrorist strongholds and positions in southern Syria.
The military said the operation killed and wounded numerous members of the targeted groups and destroyed several vehicles, but did not identify the organizations or disclose casualty figures.
The strikes came three days after gunmen opened fire on mourners attending a funeral at the Greek Orthodox Church in Hamoud village, in Jordan's Karak governorate, on Oct. 23. The attack killed nine people and wounded 34 others, according to Jordanian officials.
Survivors reported that masked assailants entered the church and fired at mourners for several minutes. No group immediately claimed responsibility.
Jordanian authorities announced the arrest of three suspects on Oct. 26 following a shootout at an abandoned house in Karak. The suspects, identified as two brothers and their brother-in-law, were wounded during the operation, while security forces seized firearms and large quantities of ammunition.
It declared three days of national mourning following the shooting.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
