Jordan says its air force killed more than 20 Islamic State operatives and destroyed a weapons depot in southern Syria following a deadly church attack in Karak
Syrian authorities reported civilian deaths, including women and children, and said the strikes took place without prior coordination with Damascus
Jordan has expressed regret over civilian casualties, while the two governments are pursuing communications and investigations amid competing accounts of the operation
Jordan has acknowledged civilian casualties from airstrikes in southern Syria but defended the operation as a response to imminent security threats, after Syrian authorities reported that five civilians, including women and children, had been killed.
Jordan’s Minister of Government Communication and official spokesperson, Mohammad Momani, said on Tuesday that the Royal Jordanian Air Force had carried out targeted strikes against Islamic State (IS), also known as Daesh, strongholds on Monday. He said the operation was based on actionable intelligence about planned terrorist attacks against Jordan.
Momani said initial assessments indicated that more than 20 IS operatives had been killed and a major weapons depot destroyed. He expressed regret over civilian casualties, adding that Jordanian forces sought to avoid locations where intelligence indicated civilians were present. Jordanian authorities were coordinating with their Syrian counterparts to investigate the incident, he said.
Conflicting Accounts
Syria’s state news agency reported that five civilians were killed in the strikes on several locations in the Daraa countryside on Monday. The victims included women, children and a 65-year-old man, according to Daraa Health Director Khaled al-Amyan. Two people injured in the town of Al-Muzayrib were taken to hospital for treatment.
The Syrian government said the airstrikes had taken place without prior coordination or notification to Damascus. It said authorities had launched an investigation and opened direct communication channels with Jordan to establish the circumstances and assess humanitarian needs.
The accounts differ over whether the operation was coordinated in advance. Jordan’s armed forces said the strikes were conducted in coordination with the Syrian government, while Damascus said it had received no prior notification.
Retaliation For Church Attack
Jordan said the operation, named “Jordanian Deterrence – Hmoud”, was carried out in retaliation for the October 23 attack on a church in Karak, southern Jordan, that killed eight people. The Jordanian military said those responsible for the attack had ties to militant organisations operating in southern Syria and that the strikes targeted their hideouts.
Amman has described the Islamic State as a shared security threat and said it intends to deepen institutional cooperation with Damascus on counterterrorism, weapons trafficking and drug smuggling.
The two governments now face the task of investigating the civilian deaths while reconciling their conflicting accounts of the operation. Jordan has said it regrets the unintended casualties, while Syria has stressed the need for coordination and respect for its sovereignty in future cross-border security actions.
