Jordan says airstrikes in southern Syria killed around 20 Islamic State militants
Jordan said its air force carried out a wave of strikes in southern Syria on Monday evening, saying the operation killed around 20 Islamic State militants and destroyed a major weapons depot. The Jordanian armed forces said the targets were hideouts of terrorist organisations, while government spokesperson Mohammad Al-Momani said the strikes were launched in response to a recent attack on a Greek Orthodox church in Karak that reportedly killed nine people. Jordan also said the operation was based on intelligence about imminent terrorist threats.
Advert for a company owned by the publisher of 360LiveNews.
Damascus condemned the raids as an unacceptable violation of Syrian airspace and said they were carried out without prior coordination. Syria's civil defence agency said seven people were killed in the strikes, including five members of the same family in Daraa Governorate, an 80-year-old man in another strike in Daraa, and a 60-year-old man in Suwayda Governorate. Jordan said it regretted unintended casualties and said it had avoided civilian sites, but it did not provide a detailed public breakdown of the targets or the number of people wounded.
The latest accounts sharpen the dispute over what the operation achieved and who was hit. Jordan is presenting the strikes as a counter-militancy action tied to an immediate security threat, while Syria is focusing on civilian deaths and the breach of its sovereignty. The conflicting statements also underline the sensitivity of the border area, where armed groups, military activity and civilian communities can be closely interwoven.
The incident matters because it links a domestic attack in Jordan to a cross-border military response inside Syria, raising the risk of further tension between the two neighbours. It also comes against the backdrop of a difficult relationship between Amman and Damascus, with both sides needing to manage security along a frontier that remains strategically important. The closure of the Nassib border crossing, reported earlier in the developing story, has already added a trade and movement disruption to the security fallout.
More from 360LiveNews Opinion
What remains unclear is the exact identity of everyone killed in the strikes, the full scale of the damage on the Syrian side, and whether the two governments can establish a shared account of what happened. It is also not yet clear whether the church attack in Jordan will lead to further military action or a broader diplomatic exchange. The next developments to watch are additional casualty confirmation from Syrian authorities, any further Jordanian detail on the targets, and whether border and security measures are tightened further along the frontier.
Jordan said its air force carried out retaliatory strikes in southern Syria after last week's attack on a Greek Orthodox church in Jordan, while Damascus said the operation killed civilians and was launched without prior coordination. The strikes were reported in rural areas of Deraa and Suwayda, with both governments offering sharply different accounts of what was hit and who was affected. Jordan said the targets were linked to suspects accused of involvement in the church attack, which killed nine people.
Jordanian officials said the operation was based on intelligence about confirmed threats and planned attacks against the kingdom, and that the air force destroyed what it described as terrorist sites and vehicles. Syria's foreign ministry said the strikes were an unacceptable breach of its airspace and a violation of sovereignty, while its emergency and civil defence teams said they had recovered seven bodies, including three children and a woman. Syrian officials said the dead included members of one family in the village of al-Taff, as well as two older men killed in separate strikes elsewhere in Deraa and Suwayda countryside.
The episode matters because it links a domestic security attack in Jordan to a cross-border military response inside Syria, raising the risk of wider tension along a frontier that has remained sensitive for years. It also comes at a time when Jordan and Syria have been trying to manage a difficult but important relationship after the political changes in Damascus in late 2024. The strikes add a new layer of strain to that relationship, particularly because Syria says there was no prior notification and Jordan says the operation was tied to immediate security threats.
Sponsored
The church attack in Jordan has already become the central reference point for the military action. Jordan said it arrested three gunmen earlier on Tuesday, but did not disclose their affiliation, while the Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attack. That claim, together with Jordan's description of the Syrian targets as linked to terrorist organisations, suggests the operation is being framed by Amman as part of a broader counter-militancy response rather than a one-off reprisal.
Syria's account focuses instead on the civilian toll and the lack of coordination. Its foreign ministry said the strikes were carried out without prior coordination or notification, and a ministry official described them as a treacherous attack. Syrian first responders said they were working at four sites, including a tent in al-Taff where five members of one family were killed, a farm near Nassib where an 80-year-old man died, and a home in northern Suwayda countryside where a 60-year-old man was killed.
Jordan has said it regrets the civilian casualties, but it has not provided a detailed public breakdown of the targets or the number of people killed and wounded on the Syrian side. That leaves the scale of the operation and the exact identities of those hit still unclear. The conflicting statements also underline how quickly a security response can become a diplomatic dispute when military action crosses an international border.
What remains unresolved is whether the two sides can establish a shared account of the strikes, and whether any further military or diplomatic steps will follow. It is also not yet clear how long the fallout from the church attack will shape Jordan's security posture or its dealings with Syria. The next developments to watch are any additional casualty confirmation from Syrian authorities, further Jordanian statements on the targets, and whether the incident prompts broader regional concern over cross-border retaliation.
Jordan said it carried out air strikes in southern Syria in retaliation for a deadly attack on a Christian funeral in Karak last week, while Syrian authorities responded by closing the Nassib border crossing. Syrian officials said five people were killed in the strike on a village in Daraa province, including women, children and an elderly man. Jordan said its fighter jets hit what it described as terrorist organisations, but did not give further details on the targets.
The Jordanian military said the operation killed and wounded several militants, and said it had coordinated with the Syrian government. Syria disputed that account, saying it had not been notified before the attack and that it had opened direct channels of communication with Jordanian officials after the strike. Syrian authorities also said they had launched comprehensive investigations into the circumstances of the targeting.
The closure of Nassib is significant because it is the only passenger and commercial border crossing between Jordan and Syria. Syrian authorities said the suspension covered traffic in both directions and was intended to protect travellers and workers at the crossing. The move adds an immediate trade and movement disruption to an already tense security situation along the frontier.
The strike follows a shooting at a Greek Orthodox church funeral in Karak that killed nine people and injured 34. Jordanian security officials said earlier on Monday that they had arrested two brothers and their brother-in-law in connection with the church attack, after finding them hiding in an abandoned house in Karak before dawn. Jordan's interior minister said the suspects were Jordanians and had been holed up in a building in one of the villages near the site of the attack.
The incident highlights the fragility of security cooperation between the two neighbours, whose border areas have long been affected by armed groups and cross-border tensions. It also places pressure on Jordan to show a firm response to the church attack while managing the risk of further escalation with Syria. For Syria, the closure of Nassib raises immediate economic and logistical concerns because of the crossing's role in passenger and commercial traffic.
What remains unclear is the identity of the armed group or groups Jordan says it targeted, and the full extent of casualties in the Syrian strike. It is also not yet clear how long the border closure will last or whether the two governments can stabilise communication after the attack. The next developments to watch are Syria's investigation, any further Jordanian statements, and whether the security situation along the border leads to additional military or diplomatic steps.
Jordan said it carried out air strikes in southern Syria in retaliation for a deadly attack on a Christian funeral in Karak last week, while Syrian authorities responded by closing the Nassib border crossing. Syrian officials said five people were killed in the strike on a village in Daraa province, including women, children and an elderly man. Jordan said its fighter jets hit what it described as terrorist organisations, but did not give further details on the targets.
The Jordanian military said the operation killed and wounded several militants, and said it had coordinated with the Syrian government. Syria disputed that account, saying it had not been notified before the attack and that it had opened direct channels of communication with Jordanian officials after the strike. Syrian authorities also said they had launched comprehensive investigations into the circumstances of the targeting.
The closure of Nassib is significant because it is the only passenger and commercial border crossing between Jordan and Syria. Syrian authorities said the suspension covered traffic in both directions and was intended to protect travellers and workers at the crossing. The move adds an immediate trade and movement disruption to an already tense security situation along the frontier.
The strike follows a shooting at a Greek Orthodox church funeral in Karak that killed nine people and injured 34. Jordanian security officials said earlier on Monday that they had arrested two brothers and their brother-in-law in connection with the church attack, after finding them hiding in an abandoned house in Karak before dawn. Jordan's interior minister said the suspects were Jordanians and had been holed up in a building in one of the villages near the site of the attack.
The incident highlights the fragility of security cooperation between the two neighbours, whose border areas have long been affected by armed groups and cross-border tensions. It also places pressure on Jordan to show a firm response to the church attack while managing the risk of further escalation with Syria. For Syria, the closure of Nassib raises immediate economic and logistical concerns because of the crossing's role in passenger and commercial traffic.
What remains unclear is the identity of the armed group or groups Jordan says it targeted, and the full extent of casualties in the Syrian strike. It is also not yet clear how long the border closure will last or whether the two governments can stabilise communication after the attack. The next developments to watch are Syria's investigation, any further Jordanian statements, and whether the security situation along the border leads to additional military or diplomatic steps.
Jordan has carried out air strikes in southern Syria after a deadly church shooting in Karak governorate that left nine people dead and dozens wounded. The operation was reported in the provinces of Deraa and Suwayda, with Jordan saying it targeted armed groups it linked to the attack. Syria denied any prior coordination with Jordan and said it would investigate the strikes.
According to the Jordanian military, the strikes were aimed at what it described as terrorist organisations in southeastern Syria connected to the church shooting. The military said the operation killed and wounded members of those groups and destroyed several vehicles, but it did not identify the organisations involved. Initial reports from Syria said at least seven people were killed in the strikes, including a woman and children.
Syrian officials said one attack hit five members of the same family, among them three children, a woman and a man. Two other strikes reportedly killed a 60-year-old man and an 80-year-old man. Following the attacks, the Syrian border authority announced the closure of the Nassib border crossing with Jordan, suspending traffic in both directions.
The crossing is Jordan's only passenger and commercial land route with Syria, making the disruption significant for movement and trade. The strikes come at a sensitive moment in relations between the two neighbours. Jordan said the operation was a response to the church shooting, which it linked to armed men operating across the border.
Syria, however, said it had not coordinated with the Jordanian military and stressed the need for joint field and security coordination in border areas. The competing accounts underline the fragility of security cooperation along a frontier that has long been affected by armed groups and cross-border tensions. The incident also follows arrests by Jordanian security forces earlier on Monday in the village of Al-Jadeeda, where two brothers and their brother-in-law were detained after a shootout with authorities.
Jordanian officials said the three men are suspects in the October 23 church attack and that they were seriously injured during a confrontation lasting about three hours. Jordan's King Abdullah II had already pledged a stern response to the shooting, adding political weight to the military action. What remains unclear is which armed group or groups were targeted in Syria and how many people were wounded in the strikes.
It is also not clear whether the border closure will remain in place or how the two governments will manage the fallout from the operation. The next developments to watch are Syria's investigation, any further Jordanian statements, and whether the security situation along the border leads to additional military or diplomatic steps.
