Jordanian Jets Kill Five in Syria Over Church Massacre

Five people, including women, children, and an elderly man, died when Jordanian fighter jets struck a village in Syria's southern Daraa province on Monday. Syrian health officials reported the casualties to state media, describing the targets as members of the local community.

The air raid was a direct response to a shooting at a Greek Orthodox church funeral in Karak on Friday. That attack left nine people dead and 34 others injured. Jordan's military stated its jets targeted "terrorist organisations" in Syria, claiming to have killed and wounded several militants without providing specific names or counts.

Syrian authorities said they had not been notified of the strike before it occurred. In reaction, Damascus ordered the complete suspension of passenger and commercial traffic in both directions at the Nassib border crossing. It is the only such crossing between the two nations. Syrian officials said they opened direct channels of communication with Jordan and launched investigations into the targeting.

Jordan claimed it had coordinated the operation with the Syrian government. Meanwhile, domestic security forces moved to secure the suspects involved in the initial church attack. The Public Security Directorate reported arresting two brothers and their brother-in-law before dawn on Monday. The men were found hiding in an abandoned house in Karak.

Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya told state-affiliated television that all three attackers were Jordanian citizens. He described them as having been holed up in a building in a village near the site of the Friday shooting.