Syria Says At Least Six Dead In Jordan Strikes, Amman Claims ‘Terrorist Positions’ Hit

Jordan carried out air strikes in southern Syria on Monday, October 26, targeting groups it linked to a deadly attack on a Greek Orthodox church that killed nine people during a funeral in Karak last Friday. The strikes came hours after Jordanian authorities arrested three suspects in connection with the shooting, while Syria said it had received no prior warning from Amman.

Jordan’s state media reported that the air force targeted what the military described as terrorist organisations linked to the church attack. The operation reportedly killed and wounded numerous members of the groups and destroyed several vehicles and suspected militant positions. Jordan did not specify the exact locations of the strikes or identify the groups targeted.

However, the strikes triggered objections from Damascus. Syria’s government said the operation was conducted without prior coordination with Syrian authorities. The Syrian Foreign Ministry expressed its reservations about military action inside Syrian territory without advance coordination, adding that communication with Amman was under way to address the fallout while protecting Syria’s sovereignty. Authorities were also investigating the strikes and discussing the incident with Jordan.

Casualty figures varied across Syrian sources. Health officials in Daraa province reported that six people, including three children and a woman, were killed. Syria’s civil defence agency put the toll at seven, reporting six deaths in Daraa and one in neighbouring Sweida province.

The strikes followed the arrest of three men accused of carrying out Friday’s attack at St George’s Greek Orthodox Church in the village of Hammoud, in Jordan’s southern Karak governorate. Gunmen opened fire during a funeral service, killing nine people and injuring more than two dozen others. No group has claimed responsibility, and the motive remains unclear.

Jordanian security forces arrested the suspects after a dawn shootout at an abandoned house in Karak. The Public Security Directorate identified them as brothers Hazza Zaidan Mohammed and Meshal Zaidan Mohammed, and their brother-in-law, Ahmad Sami Hussein. All three are Jordanian nationals and were wounded during the operation. One was reported to be in critical condition. No security personnel were injured, and authorities seized weapons and a large quantity of ammunition from the property.

Major General Obaidallah Abd Rabbo Al-Maayta, head of the Public Security Directorate, described the suspects as takfiri, a term commonly used for Sunni militants, but said there was no indication they belonged to an organised group. Interior Minister Mazen Al-Faraya said the attack stemmed from extremist thinking and warned that similar incidents could recur if such ideologies were not addressed. He also said there was no indication of foreign contacts or collaboration.

King Abdullah II vowed a forceful response, ordering authorities to act with an “iron fist” against those responsible and anyone seeking to undermine national unity. He said terrorists would not escape punishment and that ideologies dividing Jordanians would not be tolerated. Communications Minister Mohammad al-Momani also pledged a firm response against threats to the country’s security.

The shooting shocked Jordan, where Christians make up around two to three per cent of the population and attacks on places of worship are rare. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan declared three days of national mourning, with flags flown at half-mast. Eight victims were buried near the church on Sunday, while the ninth, Mohammed al-Qasous, was laid to rest in south Amman on Monday.

Relatives of the victims said the arrests had brought some relief despite their continuing grief. Khaled al-Borqan, a survivor who lost three relatives, said the developments had eased the sorrow felt by the victims’ families and the wider Jordanian public. Another survivor, Fares Halaseh, said the news brought some joy but added that the pain would remain for years.