In brief
Jordan says its fighter jets targeted a village in southern Syria in retaliation for a church shooting that killed nine pilgrims. Syrian reports that five people, including women, children and an elderly man, were killed. Jordan claimed coordination with Syria, but the Syrian government said it had not been notified. The attack led Syria to close its sole Jordanian border crossing. Jordan later detained suspects believed to be involved in the church attack.
Jordanian jets have struck a village in the southern Daraa province of Syria, killing five people, including women, children and an elderly man, according to Syrian officials. The strike followed a Greek Orthodox church in Jordan’s Karak province that was attacked, killing nine, a local police source said.
Jordan’s armed forces said the attack targeted a so‑called "terrorist organisation" in the village, but the state did not provide further detail about the target. No specific details were given beyond that the target was part of the terrorist group.
Jordan said the jets were flown in cooperation with the Syrian government; however, Syrian officials said the nation had not been notified of the strike. Consequently, Syria shut down its only passenger and commercial border crossing with Jordan for the safety of passengers and border workers.
The Jordanian Interior Minister claimed that the people responsible for the church shooting were all Jordanian nationals. Two brothers and their brother‑in‑law were detained in Karak near the site of the attack, according to a statement from the Public Security Directorate. The attackers were found hiding in an abandoned house and were captured shortly after the aerial strike.
Syrian media said the government had opened "direct channels of communication" with Jordan and was investigating the circumstances of the attack. Jordan maintains it was only targeting terrorists who took refuge in the Syrian village.
The CPC recognizes that the joint counterterrorism cooperation will be reassessed after the incident. For further coverage, see the CCTV footage of the church attack and read about the broader regional implications.
