Jordan strikes Syria; Damascus says 7 civilians killed

Key takeaways

• Jordan's military says Royal Jordanian Air Force jets hit militant hideouts in southern Syria on the evening of Monday, October 26, in response to the October 23 church attack in Karak.
• Syria's civil defence says seven civilians were killed, including three children and a woman, in strikes on four sites in Daraa and Sweida provinces.
• Jordan says the operation was coordinated with Damascus. Syria denies this, calling the operation unannounced, and has closed the Nassib border crossing.
• Jordan has not given locations or casualty figures and had not responded to Syria's civilian death toll as of 11:00 UTC on October 27.

Jordan strikes Syria: the Jordanian military says air force jets hit militant hideouts in southern Syria on Monday evening, October 26, after the October 23 church attack in Karak. Syria's civil defence says seven civilians were killed; Damascus says it was not told.

The strikes have opened a rare public dispute between the two neighbours. Their only passenger and commercial crossing is now shut, according to Al Jazeera.

What happened

On the evening of Monday, October 26 (local time, UTC+3), Jordanian jets struck targets across the border, Al Jazeera and AP reported. In a statement posted on X, the Jordanian Armed Forces said the jets "destroyed a number of terrorist sites in southeastern Syria," according to Al Jazeera. The military described the targets as hideouts of groups linked to the men behind the Karak attack, and said the strikes killed and wounded many of their members and destroyed several vehicles.

According to AFP, as published by Dawn, the Jordanian military framed the operation as retaliation for the church attack. Jordan's army also said the strikes were carried out "in coordination with the Syrian government," Al Jazeera and AP reported.

By Tuesday, October 27, Syrian rescue teams had reported casualties at four sites. The Syrian Civil Defence put the toll at seven dead, a figure carried by both AFP and Al Jazeera. Health officials in Daraa province gave AFP a toll of six for that province, including three children and a woman.

Reported strike sites

Data as of 11:00 UTC, October 27, 2026. Source: Syrian Civil Defence and Syrian emergency ministry figures, as reported by Al Jazeera and by AFP via Dawn. Village names are spelled differently in different reports.

Syria's response

Syria disputes Jordan's account. The Syrian government said "the military operation was conducted without prior coordination or notification" and opened an investigation, Al Jazeera and AP reported. In a later statement, the Foreign Ministry expressed "complete reservation" over the strikes. A ministry official, speaking to Al Jazeera, called them a "treacherous attack."

The ministry said it was in contact with Amman to establish what happened. It added that it would deal with the aftermath while "safeguarding Syria's security and sovereignty," according to Al Jazeera.

Syria's border authority also closed the Nassib crossing, halting traffic in both directions. Nassib is the only crossing between Syria and Jordan for passengers and goods.

What we know and what we don't know yet

• Known: Jordan has confirmed it carried out air strikes in southern Syria and says they were a response to the Karak church attack.
• Known: Syrian authorities report seven civilian deaths at four sites in Daraa and Sweida.
• Not yet known: which groups Jordan says it hit, and how many fighters, if any, were killed. Jordan has not published locations or figures.
• Not yet known: whether any coordination took place. Jordan says it did, Syria says it did not, and neither side has released evidence.
• Not yet known: how long the Nassib crossing will stay closed. Jordan had not commented on the civilian death claims when Al Jazeera published its report.

Background: the Karak church attack

On Friday, October 23, gunmen opened fire on mourners at a funeral in a Greek Orthodox church in Karak governorate, southern Jordan. The death toll has since risen to nine, according to AFP and Al Jazeera, up from the seven first reported on the day (see our earlier report on the Karak church attack). Al Jazeera reported that ISIL (ISIS) claimed responsibility.

On Monday, Jordanian security forces arrested three suspects after a shootout that lasted several hours, according to AFP and Al Jazeera. Two of the suspects are brothers. All three were wounded. Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya said the attackers were Jordanian and that there was "no indication of any external contacts or collaboration with foreign parties," AFP reported. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan declared three days of national mourning.

King Abdullah II ordered a review of security procedures and said those responsible would face the "harshest penalties," Al Jazeera and AP reported. Government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said Jordan would "strike with an iron fist" against anyone undermining its security, according to AFP.

Cross-border strikes are not new for Jordan. Since 2023 it has carried out several air strikes in southern Syria that it said targeted drug and arms smugglers, according to Al Jazeera. Some hit civilians. Human Rights Watch has demanded accountability for a January 2024 strike that killed women and children. More coverage: Jordan and King Abdullah II.

What it means

The strikes put Jordan's ties with Damascus under strain. Their sharpest point is the question of coordination. If Jordan acted without Syria's consent, Damascus sees the strikes as a breach of its sovereignty. Its Foreign Ministry has already signalled that it views them that way.

The Nassib closure has an immediate practical cost. The crossing is the main overland trade route between the two countries, so a long shutdown would disrupt freight and travel.

The strikes also raise a question Jordan has not yet answered: how it links the Karak attackers to groups in Syria. Its own interior minister said there was no sign of foreign contacts. The next things to watch are any Jordanian evidence on the targets, its response to Syria's civilian toll, the results of Syria's investigation, and whether Nassib reopens.