- Jordan says Operation Jordanian Deterrence-Hmoud targeted militant sites linked to the Karak church attack, which killed nine people
- Syria denies that the operation was coordinated, reports civilian casualties and has closed the Nassib Jaber border crossing to all traffic
- Three suspects are in custody in Jordan, but authorities say the investigation into possible wider links remains open
Jordan’s air force struck what it described as militant hideouts in southern Syria after determining that the perpetrators of the Oct. 23 church attack in Karak had links to terrorist groups operating across the border. The Jordan Armed Forces said Operation Jordanian Deterrence-Hmoud was conducted in coordination with Damascus and destroyed militant locations, equipment and vehicles, killing and wounding several members of the targeted groups. The operation followed the arrest of three suspects in Karak, two brothers and their brother-in-law, after they allegedly opened fire on security forces during an attempt to detain them. The attack on a Greek Orthodox church funeral in Hmoud killed nine people and injured at least 34.
Damascus has rejected Jordan’s account of coordination, saying the strikes were conducted without prior notification or agreement. Syrian authorities reported civilian deaths and injuries in Daraa and Sweida provinces, including children, while casualty figures have differed between Syrian official and local accounts. Jordan has not publicly commented on the reported civilian casualties. Syria’s Foreign Ministry said contacts with Amman were continuing to establish the circumstances of the operation, while its General Authority for Border Crossings and Customs suspended passenger and commercial traffic through the Nassib crossing, known as Jaber on the Jordanian side.
Jordanian Interior Minister Mazen Al-Faraya said the arrest of the three men did not close the case and that investigators were continuing to collect technical evidence. Authorities have not publicly named an armed organisation responsible for the church attack, and no group has claimed responsibility. The government has nevertheless characterised the incident as terrorism and linked the suspects to groups located in southern Syria. That distinction remains important: Jordan has stated that the suspects had cross-border links, but it has not publicly set out the precise nature of those links or presented evidence tying the attack to a specific organisation.
The closure of Nassib Jaber gives the confrontation an immediate economic and diplomatic dimension. It is Jordan’s only passenger and commercial crossing with Syria and an important overland route for bilateral and regional trade. The duration of the suspension remains unknown. Jordan has previously struck suspected narcotics-trafficking and militant targets in southern Syria, but the latest operation is more politically sensitive because it followed a major attack on civilians inside the kingdom and has produced an open disagreement with Damascus. The immediate test will be whether the two governments can restore security coordination and reopen the crossing while Jordan continues to investigate the network behind the Karak attack.