Jordan carried out strikes in Syria after a deadly church attack.
Syria reported civilian deaths and closed its border crossing.
Jordan arrested three suspects as the attack’s motive remained unclear.
Jordan’s air force has carried out several strikes against armed groups in Syria in response to Friday’s church attack, which killed nine people in Karak.
The Jordanian Air Force said in a statement that the operation “resulted in the killing and wounding of many members of these terrorist groups and the destruction of a number of their vehicles”. However, it did not identify the groups or specify the exact location of the strikes, Guardian reported.
The attacks have also sparked conflicting accounts from Amman and Damascus. Jordan’s military said it had coordinated the operation with authorities in Syria.
However, Syria’s government said it had received no advance notice of Monday’s strikes and had launched an investigation into them.
Syrian state media also reported civilian casualties. At least five civilians, including women, children and a 65-year-old man, were killed in strikes on Syria’s southern Daraa province.
Syria suspended movement in both directions at the Nassib border crossing after the strikes, shutting its main gateway for passenger and commercial traffic with Jordan. Nassib is the only border crossing between the two countries used for both travellers and trade.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II called for a tough response against those he described as the outlaws of Islam and anyone seeking to threaten national unity, ordering authorities to act with “an iron fist”.
Three Accused Arrested
Jordanian authorities have arrested three men over Friday’s shooting at a Greek Orthodox church in Hmoud village, in the southern Karak governorate, around 90 km south of Amman.
The suspects were injured during a shootout with security forces at dawn on Monday, officials said.
The Public Security Directorate named the men as brothers Hazzah Zaidan Mohammad and Mishal Zaidan Mohammad, along with their brother-in-law, Ahmad Sami Hussein. All three are Jordanian nationals and were arrested in Karak, according to the Guardian.
The attack occurred during a funeral, when gunmen opened fire inside the church, according to Jordan’s official news agency.
More than two dozen people were wounded in the shooting, which shocked the country and prompted authorities to declare three days of mourning. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and the motive remains unclear.
