Syria27 October, 20263 min read
Jordan Forms Joint Committee With Damascus After Airstrikes In Southern Syria
“The ministry condemned the strikes, saying that Jordanian aircraft had entered Syrian airspace”
“Jordan forms joint committee after strikes in southern Syria”
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Jordan forms joint committee with Damascus to follow up on southern Syria airstrikes. Airstrikes targeted Jordan's national security per official spokesman citing confirmed threats and terrorist operations.
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Jordan strikes, Damascus reacts
Jordan announced the formation of a joint committee with Damascus to follow up on the repercussions of its airstrikes in southern Syria, and Jordanian government spokesperson Mohammed Momani said the operation was conducted based on field information about confirmed threats and terrorist operations targeting Jordan’s national security. Momani said Jordan’s Armed Forces yesterday targeted sites of the Islamic State, and he added that initial results indicated greater losses among ISIS members, estimated at more than 20 members, along with the destruction of a massive weapons depot. The Syrian government confirmed it was monitoring field developments in southern Syria after Jordanian Air Force strikes that it said resulted in civilian casualties including children, and it said no prior coordination was made about the military operation with the Syrian side.
The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the Jordanian bombing and airspace violation, stating that the action was an “unacceptable violation” of Syrian sovereignty and good neighborliness. The Syrian Ministry of Emergency and Disaster said its teams intervened at four sites subjected to Jordanian airstrikes, and it confirmed the retrieval of seven bodies: three children, three men, and one woman, while providing first aid to three injured (two men and a child).
Committee to prevent border violations
The Syrian Foreign Ministry said it was working with Jordan to set up an urgent joint security committee to prevent further border violations, after Jordanian strikes hit several sites in Syria's southern Daraa province, killing at least seven. The Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned the strikes, saying Jordanian aircraft had entered Syrian airspace without prior coordination, which represented an “unacceptable violation.” Shafaq News said the planned committee aims to stop violations on the ground, secure the shared border and ensure full security coordination between the two countries, reflecting both leaderships' commitment to preserving their relations.
Al-Jazirah Net said the Syrian Foreign Ministry emphasized the formation of an urgent joint field and security committee aimed at putting an end to these transgressions and ensuring border protection between the two countries. Al-Jazirah Net also said Jordan stressed it refrained from targeting sites where information indicates the presence of civilians, and it said Jordan and Syrian security are one and the same with a common objective to fight terrorism targeting Jordan in the village of Hamoud in Al-Karak last Friday.
Retaliation claims and investigations
Jordan’s army said its Air Force operation targeting “hardened hideouts of terrorist organizations” in southern Syria was named “Jordanian Deterrence – Hamoud,” and it said the strike came in retaliation for “our martyrs who died in the Hamoud Church in Al-Karak last Friday.” Al-Jazirah Net said the Syrian government confirmed civilian casualties and the lack of any prior coordination with Jordan regarding the operation, and it announced an investigation into the matter. Al-Jazirah Net reported that the Syrian government began conducting precise investigations to determine all the circumstances of this targeting, in parallel with ongoing open channels of communication with Jordan.
The Syrian government statement included: "We confirm our standing with the affected Syrian families and our full solidarity with them in this calamity," and it extended condolences to the families of the martyrs and wished for the speedy recovery of the injured. Al-Jazirah Net said Jordanian authorities were monitoring the repercussions of the operation in coordination with their Syrian counterparts, while Momani expressed regret for civilian casualties in Syria and stressed Jordan refrained from targeting sites where information indicates the presence of civilians.