Jordanian Jets Kill Five in Syria After Arrests in Karak Church Shooting

Five people died in a Jordanian airstrike on a village in Syria's southern Daraa province on Monday.

Syrian health officials said the victims included women, children, and an elderly man. Jordanian fighter jets targeted what the military called terrorist organizations. The strike came in retaliation for a shooting at a Christian funeral in Karak last Friday.

Nine people were killed and 34 injured in that initial attack at a Greek Orthodox church. Jordanian security forces arrested three men earlier on Monday in connection with the case. The Public Security Directorate said the suspects, described as two brothers and their brother-in-law, were found hiding in an abandoned house before dawn.

Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya told state-affiliated television that the attackers were all Jordanian citizens. He said they had been hiding in a building in a village near the attack site. Jordan stated it coordinated the operation with the Syrian government. Syria disputed this, saying it had not received notification of the strike before it began.

In response to the bombing, Syrian authorities closed the Nassib border crossing. It is the only passenger and commercial crossing between the two countries. The decision suspended all passenger and commercial traffic in both directions to ensure safety, according to a statement carried by state media.

Syrian officials said they opened direct communication channels with Jordan. They also launched comprehensive investigations to establish the full circumstances of the targeting. Jordan said its jets killed and wounded several terrorists but provided no further details.