Jordan launches retaliatory air strikes in Syria following Karak church attack

Amman: The Jordanian air force launched retaliatory air strikes targeting militant groups inside Syria on Monday, following Friday’s assault on a Greek Orthodox Church in Karak that left nine individuals dead, state media reported.

According to state broadcasting, the military action “resulted in the killing and wounding of many members of these terrorist groups and the destruction of a number of their vehicles.” Reports did not clarify the specific identity of the targeted groups or the exact geographic coordinates of the strikes, while Syrian officials issued no immediate statement.

Earlier on Monday, security forces apprehended three men linked to last week's assault, which also left more than two dozen people injured. The arrests occurred following a dawn gunfight, during which all three suspects sustained gunshot wounds, according to authorities.

The initial attack targeted a Greek Orthodox Church amidst a funeral service in Karak, located approximately 90 kilometres (55 miles) south of the capital, Amman. Karak maintains a significant minority Christian population.

The violent incident stunned the country, prompting Jordan to declare three days of national mourning for the victims. No militant faction immediately claimed responsibility, and the precise motivation behind the assault remains unconfirmed.

Later Monday, the Public Security Directorate identified the three apprehended individuals as brothers Hazzah Zaidan Mohammad and Mishal Zaidan Mohammad, alongside their brother-in-law Ahmad Sami Hussein. All three are Jordanian nationals and were taken into custody within Karak.

Addressing a press conference, the chief of the agency characterised the gunmen as "takfiri"—a term denoting extremist Sunni militants—but clarified that they operated independently of any established terrorist network.

“They only represent themselves,” Maj. Gen. Obaidallah Abd Rabbo Al-Maayta told reporters. He added that security forces discovered a substantial stockpile of weaponry and ammunition inside the abandoned structure where the suspects were captured.

Jordan's Interior Minister Mazen Al-Faraya stated that the assault executed by the trio was driven by "a terroristic, extremist way of thinking."

“If this way of thinking is not resolved, we will see incidents like this again,” Al-Faraya told journalists.

Jordan's King Abdullah II instructed security agencies to respond with “an iron fist” against individuals he described as outlaws distorting Islam and anyone seeking to compromise national cohesion.

“We vowed the terrorists would not escape punishment, and no proponent of dark ideologies that divide Jordanians will be tolerated,” the monarch said in an official statement on Monday.

Family members of the deceased expressed that the arrests offered some measure of relief amidst their grief.

“Despite the profound and immense tragedy, what happened today has eased our grief — and the grief of the Jordanian people — not just for us, the families of the martyrs," Khaled al-Borqan, a survivor of the attack who lost three relatives in the tragedy, told television network Al-Mamlaka.

“Despite the sadness and pain, the news brought us joy,” Fares Halaseh, an uncle of one of the victims who also survived the shooting, informed the broadcaster, while emphasising the lasting trauma. "We will not forget this agony for years to come.”

AP