The Royal Jordanian Air Force launched a series of airstrikes against targets in southeastern Syria, describing them as retaliatory operations targeting "dens of terrorist organizations." According to military statements released in Amman, the strikes were executed in response to last week’s deadly assault on a Greek Orthodox church in Karak governorate, which claimed nine lives and was subsequently claimed by ISIL. Jordanian defense officials asserted that the strikes eliminated numerous militants and destroyed equipment, adding that the operation was allegedly conducted in coordination with Damascus.
Syrian authorities immediately disputed Amman's narrative, issuing a stern condemnation of what they described as a "treacherous attack" carried out without prior notification or operational clearance. The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that the strikes constituted an infringement on national sovereignty. Officials on the ground reported that seven people, including three children, were killed in the countryside of Deraa and Suwayda, where strikes struck residential areas and private farms.
In the immediate aftermath of the bombardment, Syrian customs authorities suspended operations at the Nassib border crossing, the primary artery for transit and commercial trade between both nations. Emergency teams operating in the area stated that one of the strikes obliterated a shelter in the village of al-Taff, wiping out five members of a single family, while other elderly civilians were killed in separate strikes on nearby rural properties.
Amman has frequently engaged in cross-border air raids inside Syria since 2023, publicly asserting that it is combating networks trafficking illicit narcotics and weapons linked to regional groups. However, international monitors, including Human Rights Watch, have repeatedly scrutinized these military operations, documenting that strikes have frequently hit civilians rather than illicit networks, and warning against unilateral cross-border operations conducted without clear accountability.
Source: www.aljazeera.com