Jordan launches air strikes in Syria in response to a fatal church shooting

What the report says

Jordan carried out air strikes in southern Syria on Monday after a deadly church shooting in the country’s Karak governorate last week, according to Al Jazeera’s reporting. Jordanian forces said the attacks targeted hideouts linked to armed groups they described as responsible for the assault, which killed nine people and wounded dozens at a Greek Orthodox church funeral near Amman.

The Jordanian military said the operation killed and wounded members of what it called terrorist organisations and destroyed several vehicles, but it did not identify the groups or give a precise location beyond saying the strikes hit southeastern Syria. Syria’s defence ministry, however, denied that any prior coordination took place. Syrian authorities said the air attacks struck the southern provinces of Deraa and Suwayda and, in one case, killed members of the same family, including children and a woman, according to the report.

The strikes were followed by the closure of the Nassib border crossing, the main passenger and commercial link between Jordan and Syria. Syrian officials said they had opened an investigation and called for closer security coordination in border areas. The actions came after Jordan’s King Abdullah II promised a tough response to the church attack and ordered a review of security procedures.

Earlier on Monday, Jordanian security forces arrested three suspects in the case after a shootout in the village of Al-Jadeeda, adding to the tense response in a country where Christians are a small minority.