Jordan launches airstrikes in Syria following deadly church attack
Jordan struck what it called militant sites in southern Syria after a church attack in Karak that killed nine people. Syria says seven people, including three children, were killed and denies the strikes were coordinated with it.
Jordan's air force struck what it called terrorist sites in southern Syria on the evening of Monday, October 26, 2026, in retaliation for a deadly attack on a Greek Orthodox church in Jordan's Karak governorate. Syria disputes Jordan's account of the operation and says civilians were among those killed.
The church attack
The attack on the church on October 23 killed nine people, according to Jordanian authorities. Hindustan Times and Al Jazeera reported that it was a rare attack on Jordan's Christian minority, and that King Abdullah II ordered the security forces to respond with an "iron fist".
On Monday, October 26, Jordan's Public Security Directorate said it had arrested three men suspected of the attack after a dawn shootout, The Hindu reported. Jordanian authorities linked the attack to militants operating across the border in Syria. Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya said investigations were continuing and that, so far, there was no indication of links between the suspects and other cells, according to Al Jazeera.
Jordan's account
In posts on X, the Jordanian Armed Forces said fighter jets had destroyed a number of terrorist sites, killing and wounding many members of terrorist organisations, and that the operation had been carried out in coordination with Damascus. Jordan later said the targets were Islamic State militants, The Hindu and DW reported.
Syria's account
Syria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the strikes took place "without prior coordination or notification with the Syrian side" and expressed its "complete reservation" over them, Al Jazeera reported. A ministry official called them a "treacherous attack".
Syrian authorities said seven people were killed, including three children and a woman, in strikes on the countryside of Deraa and Suwayda provinces. Jordan's Government Communication Minister Mohammed al-Momani said Jordan regretted the civilian casualties, The Hindu reported.
On Tuesday, October 27, Syrian customs authorities closed the Nassib crossing, the only route for passenger and commercial traffic between the two countries, according to Al Jazeera. Syria's Foreign Ministry said it was in contact with Jordan to establish the circumstances of the operation.