Syria reports seven dead in Jordanian airstrikes

Seven people, including three children, died in Jordanian airstrikes on southern Syria early Tuesday, according to Syrian authorities. The strikes followed a funeral attack in Jordan that killed nine people last week. Jordan’s military said it targeted camps housing terrorist groups linked to the church attack.

Jordan’s armed forces announced the operation on social media, stating that fighter jets destroyed multiple sites in southeastern Syria. The ministry claimed the strikes killed and wounded many terrorists and destroyed their vehicles. It said the operation was conducted in coordination with Damascus.

Syria disputed this account. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement expressing complete reservation over the attacks, saying they happened without prior coordination or notification. A foreign ministry official described the strikes as a treacherous attack.

Syria’s Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management reported that teams responded to four strike sites. In the village of al-Taff in the Lajat area of northeastern Deraa province, a strike hit a tent, killing five members of one family. The dead included three children and a woman. Three other family members were injured.

An 80-year-old man named Riyad Karrad was killed in a strike on a farm in the al-Shayah farms near Nassib in Deraa countryside. His body was taken to Deraa National Hospital. A strike in the town of Shuhayb in northern Suwayda countryside killed Mutlaq Abu al-Khail, age 60. Rescue teams were still working to clear rubble from his home when the report was issued. A fourth strike hit a home in Muzayrib in the Ein al-Basal area of western Deraa countryside, with no casualties reported.

Jordan did not specify the exact locations of its targets or provide its own casualty figures. The kingdom said the strikes were retaliation for an attack on a Greek Orthodox church in Karak governorate on Friday. ISIL claimed responsibility for that church attack. The Jordanian attack killed nine people during a funeral.

Jordanian security forces arrested three suspects after a shootout on Monday. Major-General Obaidullah al-Maaytah, director of public security, named them Hazza Zaidan Mohammed, Meshal Zaidan Mohammed, and Ahmad Sami Hussein. Interior Minister Mazin al-Farrayeh said investigations are ongoing and there are no current indications linking the suspects to other cells.

Syrian customs authorities closed the Nassib border crossing with Jordan shortly after the airstrikes. This is the only passenger and commercial traffic pathway between the two neighbors. Jordan has conducted multiple air attacks on Syria since 2023, targeting drug and arms smugglers. Human Rights Watch previously demanded accountability after Jordanian strikes in January 2024 killed women and children.

Syria’s Foreign Ministry said it is in contact with Jordan to establish the circumstances of the operation. Damascus stated it will address the aftermath while safeguarding Syria’s security and sovereignty. Jordan has not yet commented on Syria’s claim that the strikes hit civilians rather than armed fighters.