Jordan Strikes Militant Hideouts in Syria After Deadly Church Attack
Jordan has struck militant hideouts in Syria after a deadly church attack — Jordan’s air force hit targets in southern Syria on the evening of Monday, October 26, 2026, in retaliation for a gun attack on a church in Karak that killed 9 people on Friday, October 23. The strikes have since sparked a dispute over civilian casualties and over whether Damascus was warned in advance.
What happened at the church in Karak?
On Friday, October 23, 2026, gunmen opened fire during a funeral service at the Greek Orthodox St George’s Church in the village of Hammoud in Karak governorate, southern Jordan, killing 9 people and wounding dozens more. Karak is home to a significant Christian community, while Christians make up between two and three percent of the population in Muslim-majority Jordan.
The attack was described as highly unusual in Jordan, a relatively stable US ally in the Middle East. King Abdullah ordered security forces to respond with an “iron fist,” and vigils of solidarity were held for the victims, including one by the Christian community in Ramallah in the West Bank on October 26.
How were the three suspects arrested?
On Monday, October 26, Jordanian security forces arrested three men accused of the killings. Jordan’s director of public security, Major General Abdullah al-Maaytah, named them as Hazza Zaidan Mohammed, Meshal Zaidan Mohammed and Ahmad Sami Hussein. Two of them are brothers and the third is related by marriage.
According to officials, the trio were cornered at an abandoned house, where they barricaded themselves inside and opened fire on security forces. All three were injured and taken to hospital, with one in critical condition. There were no casualties among the security forces. Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya said investigations were still ongoing and that, as of now, there were no indications of links between the suspects and other cells.
What did the airstrikes in Syria hit?
Jordan’s armed forces said air force jets “destroyed several terrorist positions” in southeastern Syria and killed and wounded “numerous members” of groups linked to the perpetrators of the church attack. Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani later said the strikes killed 20 fighters from the Islamic State group, while acknowledging that some civilians were killed.
Syria’s Civil Defence service said at least seven people were killed in the strikes. In the village of Al-Tai in Daraa province, five members of one family — a man, a woman and three children — were killed in a strike on a tent, while three other family members, including a child, were wounded. An 80-year-old man was killed in Al Shayyah, also in Daraa, and a 60-year-old man was killed in Shahba in Suwayda province. Syrian health officials later put the death toll at eight, including an elderly man and three children, with four more wounded.
Why is there a dispute over coordination?
A diplomatic dispute followed the strikes. Jordan’s military initially said the operation was conducted in coordination with Damascus, but the government in Damascus said the attacks went ahead “without prior coordination or notification” and launched an investigation.
After the strikes, Syria’s border authority closed the Nassib crossing, suspending traffic in both directions. Nassib is the only crossing for passengers and commercial goods between Jordan and Syria, so its closure immediately affects cross-border trade and travel. The episode shows how the aftermath of the church attack has moved beyond a security operation and is now straining relations between the two neighbours.
What happens next?
Jordan’s government has said extremist terrorism will not be tolerated and that the file on the church attack is not yet closed. At the same time, reports of civilian deaths, including children and elderly people, have raised questions about the strikes, especially given the conflicting accounts of coordination with Damascus.
The incident is being watched internationally in the context of rising Middle East tensions, where cross-border militancy and military responses are becoming a fresh challenge to regional stability. The results of Syria’s investigation and the reopening of the Nassib crossing will shape the direction of this crisis in the coming days.
Read more: our coverage of Middle East tensions at https://niazitvnews.com/?p=2239 and the Dammam airport attack at https://niazitvnews.com/?p=1301
Sources: Al Jazeera, The Hindu, Jerusalem Post, Gulf News — reports of October 26 and 27, 2026.