Jordan strikes 'terrorist organisations' in Syria after deadly church attack as Damascus shuts main border crossing

Jordan's military said it carried out airstrikes against ‘terrorist organisations’ in neighbouring Syria on Monday in retaliation for a deadly jihadist attack on a church last week. The strikes came hours after authorities arrested three men accused of carrying out the killings. The Jordanian military said air force jets had destroyed several terrorist positions and killed and wounded numerous members of groups linked to those responsible for the church attack.

However, Syria's state news agency SANA, citing a local health official, reported that the strikes in Daraa province in southern Syria killed five civilians, including women and children. On Friday, gunmen killed nine people during a funeral service at the Greek Orthodox St George's Church in the village of Hammoud, in Jordan's southern Karak governorate. Karak has a significant Christian community. Christians account for between two and three percent of the population in Muslim-majority Jordan.

Three suspects arrested

On Monday, Major General Abdullah al-Maaytah, Jordan's director of public security, identified the three detained suspects as Hazza Zaidan Mohammed, Meshal Zaidan Mohammed and Ahmad Sami Hussein. The three men, two of whom are brothers while the third is related to them by marriage, were surrounded at an abandoned house where they had barricaded themselves and opened fire on security forces.

"All three terrorists have been injured. They have been taken to hospital and are still receiving treatment," Maaytah told a press conference. Jordan's state broadcaster Al-Mamlaka reported that one of the suspects was in critical condition. It added that no security personnel were killed or injured during the operation. A number of weapons and a large quantity of ammunition were recovered from the suspects, according to the Public Security Directorate. Under Jordanian law, murder is punishable by death by hanging.

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'We will show them'

Maaytah said Jordan would continue to protect its security and stability. "This country must remain an oasis of security and stability, and we affirm that Jordan will remain impervious to anyone who dares to challenge it," he said. King Abdullah II said in a post on X that security forces "chased them to the very end".

"We vowed the terrorists would not escape punishment, and no proponent of dark ideologies that divide Jordanians will be tolerated," he wrote. Earlier, the king visited victims of the church attack who were receiving treatment in hospital. He wore military fatigues and carried a pistol on his hip. "We will show them," he vowed.

Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya told Al-Mamlaka on Monday that all the attackers were Jordanian nationals and "had been holed up in a building in one of the villages near the site of the attack". "There is no indication of any external contacts or collaboration with foreign parties," he said. Government communications minister Mohammad al-Momani also vowed a strong response to threats against the country. "we stand ready and will strike with an iron fist, without mercy or leniency, against anyone who attempts to undermine Jordan's security".

Rare attacks on places of worship

Attacks on places of worship are uncommon in Jordan. In 2016, an attack in Karak targeted a security centre and police patrols, killing 10 people. Following Friday's church attack, Prime Minister Jafar Hassan ordered three days of national mourning for the victims. Flags were to be flown at half-mast over government and public institutions. Eight of the nine victims were buried on Sunday beside the church. The ninth victim, Mohammed al-Qasous, was buried in southern Amman on Monday.

Syria closes main border crossing with Jordan

Syria announced that it would close its main southern border crossing with Jordan on Tuesday, following the deadly strikes that Amman said were carried out in retaliation for the church attack. Syria's border and customs authority announced the closure of the Nassib crossing, known as Jaber on the Jordanian side, due to the current circumstances. The authority also suspended all passenger and commercial traffic in both directions.