The Jordanian Air Force attacked the positions of "terrorist groups" in Syria on Monday in response to a deadly jihadist attack on a church last week. This attack came just hours after Jordanian officials arrested three men on charges of involvement in the killings.
Details of the Airstrike
The Jordanian Air Force announced that its fighter jets destroyed "several terrorist positions" and killed and wounded "a large number of members" of groups linked to the perpetrators of the church attack. Meanwhile, Syrian officials reported civilian casualties in these attacks, with health officials in the Daraa province stating that six people, including three children and one woman, lost their lives.
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The Syrian Civil Defense also reported a total of seven fatalities in these attacks, including six in Daraa and one in the Sweida province.
Analysis of the Church Incident and Jordanian Officials' Response
On Friday, attackers killed nine people during a funeral service at the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George in the village of Hamoud in the Karak province, located in southern Jordan. The Karak province is home to a large Christian community in Jordan, where Muslims make up the majority of the population.
Major General Abdullah Al-Maaitah, the director of public security in Jordan, announced on Monday the names of the three arrested suspects as "Haza Zidan Mohammed," "Mishal Zidan Mohammed," and "Ahmed Sami Hussein." The three, two of whom are brothers and the other related to them, were cornered in an abandoned house and fired at security forces.
Al-Maaitah stated at a press conference: "All three terrorists have been injured and have been transferred to the hospital for treatment." He also noted that one of the suspects is in critical condition and that no harm was done to the security forces.
King Abdullah II of Jordan stated in a post on the social media platform X that security forces "pursued them until the last moment" and emphasized that "we have sworn that terrorists will not escape punishment and we will not tolerate any proponent of dark ideologies that divide Jordanians."
Jordan's Minister of Interior, Mazen Al-Faraya, announced that all attackers were Jordanian and "had been hiding in a building in one of the villages near the attack site." He added: "There is no evidence of foreign connections or cooperation with foreign parties."
The government communications minister, Mohammed Al-Momani, also stated that "we are ready and will strike with an iron fist, without mercy or leniency, against anyone who attempts to undermine Jordan's security." Attacks on places of worship in Jordan are rare, and in 2016, an attack in Karak on a security center and police patrols resulted in the deaths of 10 people.
Following this attack, Prime Minister Jaafar Hassan issued a three-day national mourning period for the victims of the church attack, and flags at government and public institutions were flown at half-mast.
Eight of the nine victims were buried on Sunday next to the church, and their funeral was attended by a large crowd under heavy security measures. The ninth victim, Mohammed Al-Qsus, was buried on Monday in southern Amman.
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