Jordanian jets strike Syrian village, killing five in cross-border retaliation

Jordanian fighter jets hit a village in Syria's southern Daraa province on Monday, killing five people, including women, children, and an elderly man, according to Syrian health officials. The strike was a direct response to a shooting at a Christian funeral in Jordan that left nine dead and 34 injured earlier in the week.

The Jordanian military stated its aircraft targeted 'terrorist organisations' and reported that several terrorists were killed or wounded. While Amman claimed it had co-ordinated the operation with the Syrian government, Damascus stated it had not been notified of the attack before it occurred.

In the hours before the airstrike, Jordanian security forces arrested three suspects in Karak. The Public Security Directorate identified the group as two brothers and their brother-in-law who were hiding in an abandoned house near the church. Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya confirmed on state-affiliated television that all three attackers were Jordanian nationals.

Syria reacted to the bombing by suspending all passenger and commercial traffic through the Nassib border crossing, the only such link between the two countries. Syrian authorities said the closure was necessary to ensure safety and that they had opened direct communication channels with Jordanian officials to investigate the circumstances of the targeting.