Jordanian Airstrike Kills Five in Syria Following Deadly Church Shooting

Five people, including women, children, and an elderly man, died in a Jordanian airstrike on a village in Syria’s southern Daraa province on Monday. Syrian health officials reported the casualties to state media, marking the first confirmed deaths in a cross-border military response to last week’s violence in Karak.

The Jordanian military stated its fighter jets targeted what it described as terrorist organizations. Officials claimed the strike killed and wounded several terrorists but did not specify exact figures or identify the groups involved. Jordan said it coordinated the operation with the Syrian government, a claim Damascus disputed by stating it had not received prior notification of the attack.

The retaliatory strike followed a shooting at a Greek Orthodox church funeral in Karak on Friday. That incident killed nine people and injured 34. In response to the Jordanian air raid, Syrian authorities closed the Nassib border crossing, the only passenger and commercial link between the two nations. A statement from Syrian authorities announced the complete suspension of traffic in both directions to ensure safety while direct communication channels were opened.

Syrian officials said they launched comprehensive investigations to establish the full circumstances of the targeting. Jordanian security forces made arrests earlier on Monday, detaining two brothers and their brother-in-law. The Public Security Directorate said the unnamed suspects were found hiding in an abandoned house in Karak before dawn.

Mazen al-Faraya, Jordan’s Interior Minister, told state-affiliated television that the attackers were all Jordanian nationals. He said the men had been holed up in a building in a village near the site of the Friday attack. The arrests occurred hours before the Jordanian jets struck the target in Syria.