Jordanian jets strike Syrian village after Karak church funeral shooting

Jordanian fighter jets targeted a village in Syria’s southern Daraa province on Monday, a move designed to retaliate for a deadly attack on a Christian funeral in Karak last Friday.

Syrian health officials reported that five people, including women, children, and an elderly man, died in the airstrike. The Jordanian military stated that its aircraft engaged “terrorist organisations,” resulting in several casualties, though it provided no specific body count for the Syrian side.

The diplomatic exchange over the strike has created a friction point between the two neighbors. Jordan claimed it co-ordinated the operation with the Syrian government. Conversely, Syrian authorities stated they had not been notified of the Monday attack, revealing a gap in the pre-strike communication protocols.

In the days preceding the air raid, Jordanian security forces captured three suspects linked to the church shooting. The Public Security Directorate announced that two brothers and their brother-in-law were found in an abandoned house in Karak before dawn on Monday. Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya confirmed to state-affiliated television that all three attackers were Jordanian nationals.

The initial incident occurred on Friday at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, where a shooting during a funeral left nine people dead and 34 others injured. The violence has now escalated beyond Jordan’s borders, forcing Syria to close the Nassib border crossing, the only passenger and commercial link between the two countries. Syrian authorities suspended all traffic in both directions to protect travelers while they launch comprehensive investigations into the targeting.