Syria and Jordan form joint security committee after deadly strikes in Daraa

Syria and Jordan agreed late on Tuesday, October 27, to set up a joint security committee to investigate Jordanian airstrikes in southern Syria that killed at least seven civilians, as Damascus prepared to reopen the main border crossing between the two countries on Wednesday, according to a joint statement reported by Al Jazeera, The National and Arab News.

A phone call to contain the fallout

The agreement followed a phone call between Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and his Syrian counterpart, Asaad al-Shaibani. According to the joint statement, the committee will examine the details and repercussions of the strikes and develop field and intelligence coordination against what both sides described as terrorist threats, with the stated aim of protecting civilians.

Safadi told al-Shaibani that the strikes targeted sites of the Islamic State group on the basis of field intelligence, in order to neutralise “confirmed threats and imminent terrorist operations” against Jordan, Al Jazeera reported. He expressed “deep regret and sorrow” over the civilian deaths, offered condolences to the victims’ families and reaffirmed Jordan’s respect for Syria’s sovereignty, according to The National.

Both ministers also reiterated their commitment to cooperation against cross-border drug and weapons smuggling, an issue that has long weighed on relations along their shared frontier.

Conflicting accounts of the strikes

The Jordanian air force carried out the strikes on the night of Monday, October 26, hitting locations in the provinces of Daraa and Suwayda. Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said on Tuesday that preliminary assessments showed more than 20 Islamic State fighters had been killed and a large weapons depot destroyed, adding that precautions had been taken to avoid civilian areas, according to Arab News and Asharq Al-Awsat.

Syrian authorities gave a different picture. The Syrian Civil Defence reported at least seven civilians killed, including three children and a woman, five of them from the same family, Arab News reported. Al Jazeera said funerals were held on Tuesday, including in the village of al-Taf in the al-Lajat area of Daraa province.

The two governments also disagree on whether the operation was coordinated. Amman said the strikes were carried out in coordination with Damascus; the Syrian foreign ministry rejected that claim and condemned the operation as a violation of Syrian sovereignty conducted without prior notice.

Response to the Karak church attack

Jordan presented the strikes as a response to the shooting on Friday, October 23, at a funeral held at St George’s Greek Orthodox Church in Hamoud, in Karak governorate, which killed nine people. Jordanian authorities have linked those behind the attack to militants operating across the border in Syria. Al Jazeera reported that the Islamic State group claimed responsibility, while Arab News said no group had been confirmed as responsible.

On Monday, Jordanian security forces arrested three suspects, two brothers and their brother-in-law, after a shootout in Karak in which all three were wounded, officials said.

Border traffic to resume

Syria briefly closed the Nassib crossing, known as Jaber on the Jordanian side, after the strikes. Syria’s state news agency SANA said passenger and commercial traffic would resume on Wednesday morning, according to Al Jazeera. Nassib is the only crossing between the two countries open to passenger and commercial traffic and a key route for regional trade.

Jordan has supported the Syrian government led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa since it took power in December 2024, The National noted. King Abdullah II and al-Sharaa agreed to strengthen cooperation, particularly on border security, the newspaper reported.