Jordan-Syria Tensions: Cross-border Strike and Arrests

Jordanian fighter jets struck a village in Syria's Daraa province on Monday in retaliation for a shooting that killed nine people at a church funeral last Friday.

Syrian health officials reported five deaths from the aerial attack, identifying the victims as women, children, and an elderly man. The Jordanian military stated its forces killed and wounded several members of what it called terrorist organizations. Amman said it coordinated the operation with the Syrian government, a claim Damascus disputed by stating it had not received prior notification of the strike.

The conflict escalates following the Friday attack on a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, where nine people were killed and 34 others injured. Earlier on Monday, Jordanian security forces detained three men suspected in the shooting. The Public Security Directorate said the men, described as two brothers and their brother-in-law, were found hiding in an abandoned house near the attack site before dawn.

Mazen al-Faraya, Jordan's Interior Minister, told state-affiliated television that all three attackers were Jordanian nationals. He noted they had been holed up in a building in a village close to the church where the shooting occurred. The arrests represent the first concrete leads in the investigation since the violence broke out at the funeral service.

In response to the air strike, Syrian authorities closed the Nassib border crossing. The decision suspended all passenger and commercial traffic in both directions to protect travelers and workers. Damascus stated it opened direct communication channels with Jordanian officials and launched comprehensive investigations to determine the full circumstances of the targeting. Nassib is the only passenger and commercial border crossing between the two countries.