Syriaupdated 57m ago2 min read
MapJordan Carries Out Airstrikes In Southern Syria After Karak Church Attack
5 Western Mainstream4 West Asian2 IsraeliMap: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL · Cropped for layout
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Jordanian airstrikes hit militant sites in southern Syria linked to Karak church attack. Syrian authorities say civilian casualties occurred from the strikes.
Airstrikes After Karak Attack
Jordan carried out airstrikes in southern Syria on Monday, October 26, 2026, after it said the strikes were in retaliation for the attack on mourners at a church in Hamoud in Karak Governorate on Friday. Jordan’s Royal Air Force said it conducted an operation named “Jordanian Deterrence – Hamoud,” targeting “the dens of terrorist organizations in southern Syria,” and it said the operation came “as retaliation for the church attack.”
Syrian state media and Syrian officials described civilian casualties from the airstrikes south of the town of Al-Masmiyah in Daraa Governorate, with one report saying “five civilian casualties, including women and children, were killed.” Syrian state media also reported that the Jordanian operation was carried out “without any prior coordination with the Syrian side,” while Jordan’s account tied the strikes to groups linked to the Karak church attackers.
Arrests and Jordan’s Response
Jordan’s security forces arrested three attackers after a dawn shootout on Monday, October 26, 2026, and Jordanian officials said the three were wounded and captured with no injuries among security personnel. Major General Abdulilah Al-Maayta announced the names of the attackers and said, “The perpetrators of the terrorist attack are all from one family, two are brothers and the third is their son-in-law.”
Jordan’s King Abdullah II said after the arrests, “Terrorists will not go unpunished, and no ideologue who divides Jordanians will escape accountability.” Jordan’s Public Security Directorate said the attackers took refuge in a deserted house in Kerak, refused to surrender, and opened fire toward security forces before being neutralized and seized with weapons and ammunition.
Competing Death Toll Claims
Syrian reporting and Jordanian reporting diverged on the impact of the airstrikes, with SANA quoting a health official in Daraa saying “five civilian victims, including women and children,” were killed. Al arabi al-nashr reported that the Daraa death toll from the Jordanian raids rose to 8 civilians, including 3 children and an elderly man, and it said 4 others were injured.
The Jordanian Armed Forces said its operation “resulted in the killing and wounding of many members of these terrorist groups” and it said fighter jets destroyed “a number of their vehicles,” while it did not provide a numerical toll for dead and wounded among those groups. Syrian authorities said they launched inquiries after the strikes and that they closed the Nassib border crossing with Jordan and suspended passenger and commercial traffic from both sides.