In brief
Jordan has carried out a retaliatory air strike against what it calls terrorist organisations in Syria after a gunmen attack on a Greek Orthodox church in Karak that killed nine people. Syrian officials say five people, including a child and an elder, were killed in the strike, while Jordan claims its jets hit and wounded “several terrorists”. The attack prompted Syria to shut the only passenger and commercial border crossing with Jordan and open direct communication channels for investigations. Jordan officials say the attackers were all Jordanians captured by security forces near the crime scene. The incident heightens tensions in a region already fraught with instability.
Jordan has struck what its military says were “terrorist organisations” in Syria in retaliation for an attack on a Christian funeral that killed nine people.
Syrian health officials said five people, including women, children and an elderly man, were killed in the strike on a village in the southern Daraa province. Jordan said its fighter jets had killed and wounded “several terrorists”, without giving further details.
Jordan said it had coordinated with the Syrian government, though Syria said it had not been notified of Monday’s attack.
The strike came after nine people were killed and 34 injured in a shooting at a funeral in a Greek Orthodox church in Karak on Friday.
In response, Syria said it had closed the border crossing with Jordan, suspending all passenger and commercial traffic to ensure safety at the crossing. The authorities also opened direct communication channels with Jordan and launched investigations to uncover the circumstances of the targeting.
Nassib is the only passenger and commercial crossing between the two countries.
Earlier on Monday, Jordanian security forces arrested two brothers and their brother‑in‑law over the church attack. The Public Security Directorate (PSD) said the unnamed “terrorists” were found hiding in an abandoned house in Karak before dawn.
Jordan’s Interior Minister Mazen al‑Faraya told state‑affiliated TV that the attackers were all Jordanians and had been holed up in a building near the site of the attack.
