Syrian families mourn civilian dead following Jordanian border airstrikes

Families in southern Syria are mourning the loss of their relatives after Jordanian airstrikes hit residential areas in Daraa province, sparking a fresh diplomatic standoff between Amman and Damascus.

The strikes occurred on Monday in the border village of Al-Taf, leaving multiple civilian casualties, according to local residents and medical staff. Damascus reported that seven individuals, including three young children, were killed in the raids. Jordanian authorities stated that the operation was aimed at terrorist groups, claiming it eliminated more than 20 Islamic State group fighters while acknowledging and expressing regret over civilian casualties.

The military action was launched in retaliation for an assault on a Greek Orthodox church in Jordan's Karak governorate the prior week, which resulted in nine deaths. Hours prior to conducting the strikes, Jordanian officials had confirmed the detention of three Jordanian relatives accused of orchestrating the church attack.

In Al-Taf, an airstrike destroyed the house of the Salim family, ripping through the living room and leaving behind severe destruction. Nassouh al-Salim, a surviving relative, recounted that his family was asleep when the weapon struck, killing his mother, his elder brother, and three nieces and nephews. Another relative, 78-year-old Yassine al-Salim, questioned how a government could target homes without justification, stating that the victims were innocent.

Mohammad al-Fadel, the head of nursing at a hospital in Daraa province where the dead and injured were taken, reported that the facility received the remains of three children between the ages of eight and ten, alongside a woman in her sixties believed to be their grandmother. He added that two additional children, aged four and five, sustained injuries during the bombardment.

Jordanian officials maintained that the military targeted terrorist infrastructure, including a substantial arms depot belonging to the Islamic State group, and stated that measures were taken to avoid areas known to house civilians. Although the Islamic State group lost its final territorial holdings in Syria in 2019, operational remnants remain scattered across remote desert regions and pockets of Daraa province, where they continue to mount sporadic attacks against security personnel.

The incident marks the most serious escalation between Syria and Jordan since Islamist authorities assumed control in Damascus following the removal of Bashar al-Assad in late 2024. Syria condemned the airstrikes for occurring without cross-border coordination and shut down its primary border crossing with Jordan on Tuesday, halting all commercial and passenger movement until further notice.