Syria Closes Nassib Crossing After Jordan Strikes

Syria has closed the Nassib border crossing with Jordan, suspending all passenger and commercial traffic in both directions, after Jordanian airstrikes hit sites in southern Syria on Monday. The crossing, known as Jaber on the Jordanian side, is Jordan’s only passenger and commercial border crossing with Syria.

Syria’s General Authority for Ports and Customs announced the closure on Tuesday, 27 October 2026, citing “current conditions and developments on the ground” in the southern province of Daraa. The authority said the move was intended to protect travellers and staff working at the border terminal, and that it was monitoring developments.

Why Jordan Struck

Jordan said on Monday that its air force struck what it described as militant hideouts in southern Syria. According to the Jordanian armed forces, the operation was retaliation for a deadly shooting at a funeral at Hammoud Church in Karak, southern Jordan, on Friday, 23 October, in which nine people were killed.

Jordanian authorities said they had determined that the attackers behind the church shooting were linked to “terrorist groups” operating in southern Syria. Jordanian fighter jets destroyed several sites linked to those groups, the armed forces said, killing and wounding several militants and destroying their equipment.

Earlier on Monday, Jordanian security forces arrested two brothers and their brother-in-law after a shootout linked to the church violence, officials said. Jordan’s Director of Public Security, Major-General Obeidallah al-Maaytah, said the arrested men “only represent themselves”.

Conflicting Accounts of Coordination

The two governments gave contradictory accounts of whether the strikes were coordinated. Jordan’s armed forces said the operation was conducted in coordination with Damascus. Syria’s government, however, said no prior coordination had taken place, that it had launched an investigation into the strikes, and that it had conveyed its “complete reservation” to Jordan over the operation.

Syria’s foreign ministry said early on Tuesday that it expressed deep regret over the casualties, stressed the need for joint security coordination in border areas, and said contacts with Jordan were ongoing. The disagreement adds a diplomatic strain to a border relationship that had only recently been rebuilding after years of war in Syria.

Casualties Reported by Syrian Officials

Syrian officials reported civilian deaths from the strikes. The Syrian Civil Defence said in a preliminary report that seven people, including three children and a woman, were killed and three others were wounded, with emergency teams responding to four sites in the Daraa and Sweida countrysides. Syrian health officials later said hospitals in Daraa province had received eight victims, including an elderly man and three children, in addition to four wounded.

Jordan has not publicly commented on the Syrian casualty figures. The casualty claims come from Syrian state sources and have not been independently verified; the earlier Syrian health report had put the toll at five civilians, including women and children, before the figure was revised upward.

Why the Crossing Matters

The Nassib crossing is a vital trade and travel artery between Jordan and Syria, and its closure disrupts the movement of goods and people across the two countries’ only shared commercial gateway. Syria said the suspension covers both passenger movement and freight in both directions, with no reopening date announced.

The closure follows a fragile period for the region: Jordan and Syria have been cooperating on border security and trade, while southern Syria’s Daraa province has remained volatile, with armed groups, smuggling networks and periodic clashes. A prolonged closure could hurt traders, transporters and families on both sides who depend on cross-border movement.

Regional observers will now watch whether Amman and Damascus can contain the fallout through the contacts Syria says are ongoing, or whether the dispute over coordination and civilian casualties widens into a longer border crisis.

Related: read about the localised Ukraine ceasefire that took effect today here: https://niazitvnews.com/?p=2153 and Israel’s election-day developments here: https://niazitvnews.com/?p=2160

Source: Reuters, Khaleej Times, GMA News, Al Bawaba and Anadolu Agency reports, 26–27 October 2026. Casualty figures are attributed to Syrian officials as reported by those outlets.