Jordanian Air Force Kills Seven in Syria, Closes Sole Border Crossing

Jordanian military aircraft struck targets in southeastern Syria on Monday, killing at least seven people and prompting the closure of the country's only land border gate with Damascus.

The Jordanian armed forces said the operation targeted hideouts for armed groups linked to a fatal shooting at a church in the Karak governorate last week. The military stated the strikes destroyed several vehicles and killed or wounded members of what it described as terrorist organizations.

Syrian officials disputed the coordination claimed by Amman. The Syrian defense ministry announced on Telegram that one Jordanian attack hit five members of a single family, including three children, a woman, and a man. Two additional strikes killed a 60-year-old man and an 80-year-old man. The attacks landed in the southern provinces of Deraa and Suwayda.

In response to the strikes, the Syrian border authority closed the Nassib crossing, suspending all passenger and commercial traffic in both directions. This gate serves as Jordan's sole entry and exit point for people and goods moving between the two nations.

Earlier on Monday, Jordanian security forces captured three suspects in the village of Al-Jadeeda after a three-hour shootout. The men, identified as two brothers and their brother-in-law, are accused of opening fire on a Greek Orthodox church on October 23. A government source said the suspects sustained serious injuries during the confrontation.

The original attack occurred about 90 kilometers south of Amman during a funeral. Gunmen killed nine people and wounded dozens. King Abdullah II vowed to impose the harshest penalties on those responsible and ordered a review of national security procedures. Karak is home to a Christian minority population of approximately 300,000 out of Jordan's 11.5 million residents.