• Analysis
Jordan strikes Syria: Amman defends raids Damascus calls an airspace violation
Jordan's strikes inside Syria on Monday evening drew a formal Syrian condemnation on Tuesday, but Amman's response is the focus: minister Mohammed al-Momani said the Jordan strikes Syria operation targeted confirmed threats, regretted civilian casualties, and stressed Amman's respect for Damascus.
Amman's case for the strikes
Jordan's air force carried out air strikes in Syria on Monday evening, a response Amman tied to last week's attack on a funeral at a Greek Orthodox Church in Karak, in southern Jordan, which killed nine people. Government Communication Minister Mohammed al-Momani said the operation rested on intelligence about "confirmed threats and planned terrorist acts against Jordan".
- •The strikes followed the Karak church attack, in which nine people died
- •Jordan announced earlier the same day that it had arrested the three gunmen behind the attack, without disclosing their affiliation
Syria's objection
Syria's foreign ministry condemned the strikes on Tuesday, calling them "an unacceptable violation and breach of Syrian airspace without any prior coordination". The ministry also described the raids as "a blatant violation of the principles of good-neighbourliness and Syrian national sovereignty". Damascus said seven people were killed, among them three children and a woman.
"an unacceptable violation and breach of Syrian airspace without any prior coordination"
What the strikes hit
Syria's civil defence said it recovered the bodies of seven civilians killed in the southern Daraa and Sweida provinces.
- •Five of the dead were one family, including three children and a woman
- •Two of the men killed were elderly
In the border village of Al-Tuff in Daraa province, Masoud al-Salim lost his wife, son and three grandchildren in a strike on his home. "I came running and found there was no house anymore, no tent, nothing. I couldn't find anyone," he said. "I started looking under the rubble. I thought they might be buried there."
Regret and ongoing coordination
Momani said in a post on X that Jordan regretted the civilian casualties. On Tuesday he said Jordan was keen to safeguard its ties with Syria, stating "Jordan holds great respect for the Syrian state and its brotherly people". Ties have been strong since the fall of the Assad dynasty in December 2024 and the emergence of interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa's Islamist-led government. Coordination on fighting terrorism and weapons and drug smuggling is ongoing and has been for years, he added.
