Jordan and Syria Give Conflicting Accounts of Strikes That Killed a Family
Jordanian airstrikes on the southern Syrian provinces of Deraa and Suwayda on Monday evening have left Amman and Damascus giving conflicting accounts of the attacks, which killed a grandmother and her three grandchildren. Al Jazeera reported that images of the dead have spread across Syria.
Jordan says the strikes were a response to an attack on a Greek Orthodox church in the village of Hamoud, in Karak governorate, a Jordanian province. The attack killed nine people and wounded at least 34 others. Jordanian authorities arrested three men connected to the attack on Monday. Jordan's King Abdullah II promised to respond with an iron fist.
Jordan's Royal Jordanian Air Force named its southern Syria operation Operation Jordanian Deterrence - Hmoud. Jordan said its air force killed more than 20 fighters from the Islamic State group, also known as ISIL, in the strikes. It said the targets were what it called dens of terrorist organisations linked to suspects accused in the church attack. Jordan also said the operation was carried out in coordination with authorities in Damascus.
Syria's account differs sharply. According to Al Jazeera, Syria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the strikes took place without prior coordination or notification with the Syrian side, and that it had informed Jordan of its complete reservation over the attacks. A Syrian official described the strikes as treacherous. Syria earlier described them as an "unacceptable" breach of its airspace, the area of sky over a country that is controlled by its government.
The civilian deaths occurred in the village of al-Taff, in the Lajat area of northeastern Deraa province. The family was killed by a strike on a tent, and Syria's civil defence said three other family members were wounded.
The Jordanian government said it regrets the civilian casualties from the strikes in Syria. Days earlier, Jordan's foreign minister and his Syrian counterpart discussed border security and the recent airstrikes in a phone call, according to the Petra state news agency.
