Syria announced that five individuals died on Monday following Jordan’s airstrikes. These strikes came as a response to a deadly attack on a church the previous week. The Jordanian air force stated the targets were ‘hideouts of terrorist organizations’ in southern Syria believed to be linked to the church attack.
The Syrian government contested Jordan’s claim, asserting the airstrikes resulted in civilian casualties, including women, children, and an elderly man. These airstrikes occurred after Jordan captured three men connected to the church incident. Jordan’s Public Security Director, Obeidallah Maaytah, revealed that law enforcement tracked and subsequently arrested the attackers in a confrontation where weapons were seized.
The ones arrested were identified as Ahmad Sami Hussein, Mish’al Zaidan Muhammad, and Hazza’ Zaidan Muhammad, thought to be masterminds of the attack. The toll from the church incident increased to nine as two more victims succumbed to their injuries over the weekend. On Friday, gunmen attacked the Hamoud Greek Orthodox Church in Jordan’s Karak district, resulting in numerous injuries. Video footage displayed three attackers opening fire at the church entrance during a funeral attended by over a hundred people.
Jordan’s Queen Rania and Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah participated in a funeral for the victims on Sunday, while King Abdullah II visited the injured in a hospital earlier. No organization has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Maaytah characterized the suspects as ‘takfiri,’ an Arabic term for Sunni extremists associated with groups like al-Qaeda and Islamic State.