Amman: Jordan said on Tuesday its forces had killed more than 20 fighters belonging to the Islamic State group in airstrikes on southern Syria the previous evening, following a deadly church attack in Jordan that authorities linked to ‘militants’ operating across the border.

The strikes, which followed a rare attack in Jordan, have inflamed tensions between the two US allies. Jordan has been a longtime partner to the US in its fight against extremism, while the government of Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who wants to restore the country’s relations with the West after overthrowing longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in 2024, said it was seeking to curb extremism.

Syria said the strikes killed seven people, including three children and a woman. Jordan regrets the civilian casualties, Government Communication Minister Mohammed al-Momani said in a post on X.

Jordan said its air force had struck what it described as hideouts in southern Syria after determining that the suspects behind last week’s church attack were linked to “terrorist groups” based there. Jordanian security officials said separately that security forces had arrested two brothers and their brother-in-law following a shootout linked to the church attack, which killed nine people.

Damascus condemns deadly strikes as ‘unacceptable violation’

Local resident Salah Mahwash said: “At around 10pm, there was an explosion and the sound of aircraft overhead. We went to the site, and it was a poor family whose father had gone missing during the events and was in Sednaya prison.

“Today, as you can see, these are people just trying to make a living, tending to their sheep and goats and doing manual labour. We condemn what happened in the Jordanian state, of course.”

Attacks such as the church shooting are rare in Jordan, a relatively stable US ally in the Middle East. No group has claimed responsibility for the shooting, although Jordan said the militants it targeted in Syria were members of IS. Monday’s strikes have nevertheless sparked anger in Syria. While the Jordanian military said they were conducted in coordination with Damascus, Syria’s government said they were carried out without prior coordination. It also said it would hold an investigation.

Statements in recent days by Jordanian authorities that there appeared to have been no prior planning of the church attack have added to the confusion, seemingly at odds with Jordan’s justification for Monday’s cross-border strikes.

Syria’s Foreign Ministry condemned the strikes as a violation of the country’s sovereignty. It said, however, that Damascus was coordinating with Amman and would establish a joint security committee to strengthen border security and prevent similar incidents.

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2026