On a Monday in late October, a border that had been quietly carrying people and goods between Jordan and Syria became, for a moment, the site of a grim reckoning. A shooting at a Greek Orthodox funeral in Karak, which left nine dead and dozens wounded, set in motion a Jordanian air strike on a village in Syria's Daraa province, where five people, among them women, children and an elderly man, were killed. Two neighbouring governments now dispute whether they had spoken before the bombs fell, and the crossing at Nassib has fallen silent. What remains is the familiar human question of how a grie
Jordan Strikes Targets in Syria After Karak Church Attack; Syria Closes Key Border Crossing
Five people, including women, children and an elderly man, were killed in the Jordanian strike on a Daraa village, and nine people were killed and 34 injured in the Karak church shooting.
Nassib is the only crossing for both passengers and goods between the two countries.
Mark
Start with the basics. What actually happened on Monday?
Mimi
Jordanian jets struck a village in Daraa province in southern Syria. Syrian health officials say five people died, including women, children and an elderly man.
Mark
And Jordan says it was a response to Karak?
Mimi
Yes. On Friday, a shooting at a Greek Orthodox funeral in Karak killed nine and injured 34. Jordan describes the strike as retaliation against terrorist organisations.
Luke
Careful, though. The five deaths are Syrian health officials' figures, relayed through state media. Jordan only says "several terrorists" were killed and wounded, with no numbers.
Mark
Is there agreement on whether Syria knew?
Mimi
No. Jordan says it co-ordinated with Damascus. Syria says it was not notified.
Luke
Right, and nothing in the reporting settles that. Both are claims.
Mark
Why does the border closure matter?
Mimi
Nassib is the only crossing for both passengers and commercial traffic between the two countries. Syria suspended all of it in both directions.
Luke
One more gap: the interior minister says the Karak attackers were Jordanians, arrested in Karak. It's not stated whether the people hit in Daraa were linked to them. That's unknown.
El Pulso
- A Friday shooting at a Karak church funeral killed nine and injured 34, and the region is still reeling from it.
- Jordanian jets struck a Daraa village on Monday, and Syrian health officials report five civilians dead, including children.
- Syria and Jordan contradict each other over whether the strike was coordinated, leaving trust and facts both in question.
- Syria has shut the Nassib crossing, the main legal route for passengers and trade, cutting off travellers and commerce.
- Both sides speak of channels of communication and investigations, while three arrested suspects await trial and the border remains closed.
On a Monday in late October, a border that had been quietly carrying people and goods between Jordan and Syria became, for a moment, the site of a grim reckoning. A shooting at a Greek Orthodox funeral in Karak, which left nine dead and dozens wounded, set in motion a Jordanian air strike on a village in Syria's Daraa province, where five people, among them women, children and an elderly man, were killed. Two neighbouring governments now dispute whether they had spoken before the bombs fell, and the crossing at Nassib has fallen silent. What remains is the familiar human question of how a grief-stricken state answers violence, and whether the answer will widen the wound or begin to close it.
Jordan's air force struck southern Syria on Monday, targeting what its military called "terrorist organisations" in retaliation for a shooting at a Christian funeral in Karak. The attack came three days after gunmen opened fire at a Greek Orthodox church service, killing nine people and wounding 34 more. The strike hit a village in Daraa province, and Syrian health officials said five people died there, including women, children and an elderly man.
The two governments do not agree on how the strike came about. Jordan says it coordinated with Damascus; Syria says it was never told. Jordan's military gave few details about who had been hit, and has not said whether those killed in Daraa had any link to the Karak shooting.
Syria responded by closing the Nassib crossing, the only border point handling both passengers and commercial traffic, halting movement in both directions. Its statement also spoke of opening direct lines of contact with Jordanian officials and launching investigations into what it called the targeting.
Earlier that day, Jordanian security forces had detained two brothers and their brother-in-law, whom they described as hiding in an abandoned house in Karak. The interior minister said the attackers were all Jordanian and had been holed up in a village near the church. How those arrests connect to the strike across the border remains unexplained. For now, the investigations, the fate of the crossing, and the trial of the three suspects are what everyone is watching.
Jordan's air force carried out strikes in southern Syria on Monday, hitting what the Jordanian military described as "terrorist organisations" in retaliation for a shooting at a Christian funeral in Karak. The strike landed on a village in Syria's Daraa province, and Syrian health officials told state media that five people died there: women, children and an elderly man among them.
Jordan's account of the operation was brief. Its military said its fighter jets had killed and wounded "several terrorists" but gave no further detail on who they were or where exactly they were hit. The two governments also disagree on a basic point. Jordan said it had co-ordinated the strike with the Syrian government. Syria said it had not been notified of Monday's attack.
The strike followed an attack on Friday at a funeral held in a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, in southern Jordan. A shooting there killed nine people and injured 34 others.
Syria answered the strike by closing a border crossing with Jordan. Nassib is the only crossing between the two countries that handles both passengers and commercial traffic, so its closure cuts the main legal route for people and goods. Syrian authorities said in a statement carried by state media that the decision meant "complete suspension of passenger and commercial traffic in both directions," and that the aim was to ensure the safety of travellers and workers at the crossing.
The same statement struck a more conciliatory note. Syria said it had opened direct channels of communication with Jordanian officials, and that it had launched comprehensive investigations to establish the full circumstances of what it called the targeting.
Earlier on Monday, before the airstrike was reported, Jordanian security officials had announced arrests in the church case. Security forces detained two brothers and their brother-in-law. Jordan's Public Security Directorate said the men, whom it did not name and called "terrorists," were found hiding in an abandoned house in Karak before dawn.
Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya told state-affiliated television that the attackers were all Jordanians. He said they had been holed up in a building in one of the villages near the site of the attack. The source reporting does not explain how that finding relates to the strike across the border, and Jordan has not said whether those hit in Daraa were connected to the Karak shooting.
What to watch now: the investigations Syria says it has begun, whether Nassib reopens and how quickly, and the legal process for the three men arrested over the church attack.
Citas Notables
The decision includes the complete suspension of passenger and commercial traffic in both directions, to ensure the safety of travellers and workers at the crossing.— Syrian authorities, statement carried by state media
The attackers were all Jordanians and had been holed up in a building in one of the villages near the site of the attack.— Mazen al-Faraya, Jordan's Interior Minister
Quieres la nota completa?
Lee el original en BBC News ↗
War & Conflict