Jordan strikes Syria after church attack; Damascus reports seven dead and denies coordination

Jordan’s air force struck targets in southern Syria on Monday 26 October, saying it was retaliating for an attack on a church in Jordan that killed nine people. Syrian officials reported seven deaths in the strikes and denied Jordan’s claim that it had coordinated the operation with Damascus.

The Jordanian military said it had targeted hideouts used by groups linked to those responsible for Friday’s shooting at a funeral in a church in Hmoud, in Karak province. It said members of those groups had been killed or wounded, but did not name the groups or give casualty figures. Earlier on Monday, Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya told a press conference there were, at that point, no indications that the church attack suspects had links to other cells, according to Reuters. The military’s later statement did not explain what had changed.

Jordanian authorities said three suspects had been arrested after an armed confrontation. The country’s public security chief put the toll from the church attack at nine dead and 34 wounded; the investigation was continuing.

In Syria, Daraa’s health director, Khaled al-Amyan, said strikes on sites in the province had killed seven people — three children, a woman and three men, one of them elderly — and injured three others. An earlier report had put the death toll at five. A regional rescue official also reported recovering seven bodies, but described the count as preliminary. The Syrian government said civilians were among those killed.

Jordan’s military said the strikes were carried out in coordination with the Syrian government. Damascus said there had been no prior coordination and objected to operations on its territory without it. Syrian authorities said they had opened talks with Jordan about the incident.

Syria’s border and customs authority announced that the Nasib crossing with Jordan would close to travellers and trade in both directions on Tuesday 27 October because of developments in Daraa.