The latest:
Jordanian warplanes struck what Amman described as militant hideouts in southern Syria on Monday, days after a shooting at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak province killed nine people. The Jordanian Armed Forces said the operation was coordinated with Damascus. Syria’s government rejected that account, saying no prior coordination took place and that it had launched an investigation into the raids.
Details:
- The strikes: Jordanian aircraft hit multiple locations across two southern provinces, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. In Sweida countryside the targets included Ashihab, Tal Dalfa, al-Taff and Sath Zahnan; in Daraa countryside they included Ain al-Basl, al-Shiyah, al-Muzayrib, Nassib and the Lajat area.
- The casualty count: The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the toll at 8 killed, including an elderly man and 3 children, with 4 wounded, calling the figure preliminary and warning it could rise. Daraa health director Khaled al-Omayan told SANA that 5 civilians were killed, among them women, children and an elderly man.
- The victims: Al-Omayan said the elderly man was 65 and a resident of the Tariq al-Sadd area in Daraa city, and died at Daraa National Hospital from shrapnel wounds. Two people wounded in the town of al-Muzayrib were taken to Tafas National Hospital.
- Syria’s objection: The foreign ministry told SANA that Jordan had been informed of Damascus’s full reservation over operations on Syrian territory without prior coordination, and expressed regret over the dead and wounded in Daraa. It said contacts with Amman were continuing to establish details and causes.
- The investigation: The Syrian government said relevant bodies had begun detailed inquiries into the circumstances of the targeting, while keeping channels with Jordan open. It stressed the importance of joint field and security coordination on any steps involving border areas, in a way that preserves Syrian sovereignty.
- The church attack: Gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in the village of Hmoud in Karak, about 120 kilometres southwest of Amman, on Friday. Nine people were killed and 34 wounded. Witnesses said the shooting lasted several minutes. No group has claimed responsibility.
- The arrests: Senior Jordanian security officials said two brothers and their brother-in-law were detained Monday after an exchange of fire. The Public Security Directorate said the three were found hiding in an abandoned house in Karak, refused to surrender and opened fire, and that weapons and ammunition were seized. No security personnel were hurt.
- Amman’s framing: Public Security Director Major General Obaidallah al-Maaytah said of the suspects: “God willing, they represent no one but themselves.” Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya said the file remains under investigation with no current indications of links to other cells. Officials named the suspects at the press conference.
- The royal order: The attack on Jordan’s Christian minority prompted King Abdullah to order security forces to strike with an iron fist, according to Reuters. Such attacks are rare in Jordan, a US ally and counter-extremism partner that has previously disrupted plots by hardline Islamist groups.
Background:
Jordan borders southern Syria at Nassib, the main commercial crossing between the two countries. Officials at the Jordanian press conference did not name any specific Islamist group in connection with the church shooting.
Between the lines:
The two governments are publicly contradicting each other on the point that matters most: whether the raids were coordinated. Amman says they were; Damascus says it learned of them afterwards and is investigating. Jordan has not responded to the Syrian casualty figures, and the two reported tolls, 5 and 8, have not been reconciled.
What’s next
Watch for a Jordanian response to the Syrian casualty reports, the outcome of Damascus’s investigation, a final Syrian toll, and whether the three detained suspects are referred to the state security court.
