Jordan bombs southern Syria after church massacre; Damascus says civilians died
Amman says its strikes killed about 20 Islamic State fighters, while Syria reports at least seven civilian deaths and closes the main border crossing
AMMAN — Jordan's air force struck sites in southern Syria on Monday night. It said the targets were linked to the gunmen who attacked a funeral at St. George's Greek Orthodox Church in Karak on Friday, killing nine people and wounding dozens. On Tuesday a Jordanian government spokesman said about 20 Islamic State fighters died in the strikes. He acknowledged that civilians were also killed. Syria's civil defence service said it recovered seven bodies in Deraa and Suweyda provinces, including three children from one family. Damascus rejected Amman's claim that the raids were coordinated with it, opened an investigation, and shut the Nassib crossing, the only passenger and trade crossing between the two countries. Jordan arrested three Jordanian men, two brothers and their brother-in-law, after a shootout. Police described them as takfiri extremists not tied to any organized group. King Abdullah II ordered an 'iron fist' response.
Why it mattersA sectarian attack on a rare Christian target in Jordan has set off a cross-border military response that strains ties between Amman and Syria's new authorities.
