Jordanian-Syrian differences over strikes in southern Syria

Jordan announced that it had carried out airstrikes in southern Syria targeting what it described as hideouts of militants linked to “terrorist organisations”, following investigations that Amman said had revealed links between those groups and the suspects in the attack on a church in Karak Governorate last week.

The Jordanian Armed Forces said the operation was carried out in coordination with the Syrian authorities as part of security measures related to pursuing those involved in the attack.

In contrast, the Syrian government confirmed that it had opened an investigation into the airstrikes, stressing the importance of security and field coordination in border areas. The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) quoted Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs as saying that Damascus had informed Jordan of its “complete reservations” about conducting operations inside Syrian territory without prior coordination, reflecting a divergence between the two countries’ accounts of the nature of the coordination that preceded the strikes.

On the ground, the Syrian Civil Defence reported an initial death toll of seven people, including three children and a woman, with three others injured in the airstrikes targeting four sites in the countryside of Daraa and Suwayda. The Daraa Health Directorate also announced that hospitals in the governorate had received eight casualties, including an elderly man and three children, in addition to four people with injuries of varying severity.

In a subsequent development, the Syrian General Authority for Ports and Customs announced the closure of the Nassib border crossing with Jordan and the suspension of passenger movement and commercial exchange in both directions, stating that the decision was prompted by “the current situation and developments on the ground” in Daraa Governorate.

The Nassib crossing is the only land crossing designated for passenger and trade movement between Syria and Jordan, making its closure a step with direct implications for transport and commercial exchange between the two countries.

Sh-S

ANHA