Syria says Jordanian air strikes killed seven, disputing Amman's claim of coordination

DAMASCUS — Syria said on Tuesday that Jordanian air strikes on Deraa and Suwayda provinces killed seven people, including three children. Jordan said it hit militant sites in coordination with Damascus, a claim Syria rejects.

Jordan's armed forces said in a post on X that Royal Air Force jets destroyed "a number of terrorist sites" in southeastern Syria. They said the strikes killed and wounded many militants and destroyed vehicles. Jordan did not give locations or casualty figures, according to Al Jazeera.

Amman said the operation was a response to an attack on a Greek Orthodox church in Karak governorate on October 23. Nine people were killed during a funeral. ISIL (ISIS) has claimed responsibility, Al Jazeera reported.

Syria disputes Jordan's account

Syria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Jordan it had "complete reservation" over the strikes, which it said took place "without prior coordination or notification with the Syrian side". A ministry official told Al Jazeera the strikes were a "treacherous attack".

Syria's civil defence agency said it recovered the bodies of those killed. It said five members of one family died in a strike on a tent in the village of al-Taff, in the Lajat area of northeastern Deraa. Those killed included a woman and three children. Three other family members were hurt.

A strike on a farm in the al-Shayah area near Nassib killed an 80-year-old man, the agency said. Another strike, on a home in Shuhayb in northern Suwayda, killed a 60-year-old man. Rescue teams were still working to reach his body when the report was issued.

A strike on a house in Muzayrib, in western Deraa, caused no reported casualties. Syria's Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management said its teams responded at four sites.

Jordan had not immediately commented on the Syrian claim that civilians, not armed fighters, were killed.

Syrian customs authorities closed the Nassib crossing with Jordan soon after the strikes. Al Jazeera described it as the only route for passenger and commercial traffic between the two countries.

Mixed signals from Damascus

Two Telegram posts, which Zenga News could not independently verify, point in different directions. TRT Arabi reported that the Syrian foreign ministry "condemned and rejected" the Jordanian bombing of several sites in Deraa and what it called an unacceptable violation of Syrian airspace without prior coordination.

Al Jazeera Arabic separately posted that the ministry said it was working with Jordan on a joint field and security committee to end such breaches and stop them recurring. The posts do not explain how the two statements relate.

Background

Jordanian security forces arrested three suspects after a shootout following the church attack, senior officials said on Monday. Public security director Maj Gen Obaidullah al-Maaytah announced the arrests. The suspects are two brothers and their brother-in-law.

King Abdullah II ordered security forces to respond with an "iron fist". Interior Minister Mazin al-Farrayeh said an investigation would examine "all the circumstances that lead young people towards extremism". He said the investigation was continuing.

The attack was described as rare, because it targeted Jordan's minority Christian community.