Jordan Launches Airstrikes in Response to Church Attack

On Tuesday, Jordan carried out airstrikes targeting what it identified as Islamic State positions in Syria. This action was described as a “retaliation” for a recent attack on a Greek Orthodox church in southern Jordan that occurred on Friday.

The Syrian government reported that at least eight individuals, including an elderly man and three children, lost their lives due to the Jordanian airstrikes in southern Syria.

Jordanian government spokesperson Mohammad al-Momani stated that the strikes eliminated at least 20 ISIS fighters who posed a significant threat to the nation’s security. He further expressed that the time for Jordan to tolerate the actions of such terrorist organizations has passed. “Jordan’s patience has run out as far as the movements of these terrorist organizations and their targeting of national security,” he remarked.

Momani also expressed regret over the civilian deaths resulting from the strikes, mentioning that these operations were coordinated with the Syrian government, though he didn’t provide specific details about this coordination.

However, officials in Damascus rejected the notion of any coordination with Jordan and indicated they would lodge a formal complaint, seeking a thorough investigation into the attacks.

The Jordanian military clarified that the airstrikes were a direct response to the recent lethal assault on the Hamoud church in Karak. During this incident, a group of armed attackers opened fire at the church during a funeral, resulting in at least seven fatalities and injuring 34 others. King Abdullah II of Jordan vowed “the harshest retaliation” against those responsible for what has been characterized as the most severe attack on Christians in Jordan in over fifty years.

The day before, Jordanian security forces apprehended three men suspected of being involved in the church attack, all reported to be Jordanian citizens from the same family. These individuals reportedly resisted arrest strongly and sustained serious injuries during a three-hour standoff in an empty house.

Initially, Jordanian security officials stated there was no evidence linking the suspects to external terrorist organizations. Yet, Prime Minister Jafar Hassan mentioned on Friday that the church attack stemmed from “terrorist takfiri ideology.”

The military claimed on Monday that the targets bombed in Syria were safe havens connected to the attackers of the church.

In the wake of the strikes, the Syrian General Authority for Ports and Customs announced the temporary closure of Syria’s main border crossing with Jordan until further notice.

Later, the Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned the Jordanian airstrikes as “utterly unacceptable” and a serious infringement on Syrian sovereignty. The ministry’s statement also condemned the church attack and suggested that there are malicious external forces attempting to sow discord between Syria and Jordan.