Syria Puts Toll From Jordan's Daraa Strikes at 7 to 8 as Families Deny Ties to Church Attack

Since Jordanian jets struck southern Syria late Monday, Oct. 26, in response to the Oct. 23 shooting at a Karak church funeral, the dispute has shifted from whether civilians died to who they were and who the targets actually were.

The toll has moved

Syria's first figure from the Daraa health director was five civilians, including women, children and a 65-year-old man. A preliminary Syrian report issued Monday night said seven were killed, including three children and a woman. Khaled Al-Amyan, Daraa's health director, later told the state news agency SANA that eight civilians died, including women and three children, in strikes on several sites in the province's countryside.

Al Jazeera reported from Daraa that at least seven people died, including a family of five. Syrian civil defense teams and residents were photographed searching the wreckage in Al-Muzayrib in western Daraa. Syrian state TV also reported casualties south of the village of al-Masmiyah.

Families reject the link

Amman described the targets as "terrorist hideouts." Relatives of the dead told Al Jazeera they had no connection to the church attack.

Jordan's military says the people behind the Karak attack were linked to the groups it struck. Its statement named no group, gave no precise locations and gave no casualty figures. It said only that jets destroyed several structures and vehicles and killed and wounded members of those groups.

A Times of India account says Jordan claimed more than 20 Islamic State fighters were killed. The military statement as quoted elsewhere contains no such number.

Jordan's Government Communication Minister Mohammed al-Momani said Tuesday the strikes avoided known civilian areas. He said Jordan regrets the civilian casualties and is following up with Syrian authorities.

Jordan's own statements don't line up

The military's claim of a cross-border link sits awkwardly beside what Jordan's police have said about the suspects.

The Public Security Directorate identified the three men arrested Monday as brothers Hazzah Zaidan Mohammad and Mishal Zaidan Mohammad, and their brother-in-law Ahmad Sami Hussein. All three are Jordanian and were wounded in a dawn shootout in Karak.

Public Security chief Maj. Gen. Obaidallah Abd Rabbo Al-Maayta called them "takfiri" but said they were not tied to any organized group. "They only represent themselves," he told a news conference. He also said the attack was not planned in advance and that the men were following the funeral procession when they opened fire.

Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya said investigators had established no links between the three and other terrorist cells. He said the investigation is ongoing. Police recovered a large cache of munitions from the abandoned house where the men were found.

No group has claimed the attack. The church shooting killed nine and wounded 34. The toll rose from seven after two of the wounded died.

Coordination still disputed

Jordan's armed forces say they coordinated the operation with Damascus. Syria says it received no prior notice or coordination. Its government has launched what it called comprehensive investigations into the circumstances of the strikes and says it has opened direct channels of communication with Jordanian officials.

Damascus also called for joint military and security coordination in border areas to protect Syria's sovereignty and both countries' security.

Syria has suspended passenger and commercial traffic in both directions at the Nassib crossing. It said the move was meant "to ensure the safety of travellers and workers at the crossing." It has not said when the crossing will reopen.

King Abdullah II praised the operation on X. "We said that the terrorists would not escape punishment," he wrote. He had earlier ordered an "iron fist" response to the attack.

What is still open

Jordan has not publicly identified the groups it says it hit or released evidence tying them to the Karak gunmen. Syria's investigation has not yet reported findings. The Jordanian investigation into the three suspects is continuing, and the Nassib closure leaves trade and travel between the two countries cut at their only commercial crossing.