Jordanian Minister of Government Communications, Muhammad al-Momani, said that the air strikes on southern Syria resulted in “major losses among the organization’s ranks, estimated at more than 20 members,” and the destruction of a huge weapons depot, while the Syrian government announced that “civilian victims” were killed in Jordanian air strikes carried out Monday on southern Syria, after the Jordanian army announced that the raids targeted “terrorist organizations.”
Syria announced that the death toll from air strikes carried out by the Jordanian Air Force on sites in the countryside of Daraa Governorate, southern Syria, on Monday, had risen to 7 people, including three children and a woman, according to what the official Syrian News Agency (SANA) reported, citing the Director of Health in Daraa, Khaled Al-Omyan.
Jordanian Minister of Government Communications, Muhammad al-Momani, said that Jordan is coordinating with international parties for the safety of Syrian lands, ensuring their unity and stability, and repelling their ambitions, especially in southern Syria. Momani said that the operation was based on field information with the aim of "neutralizing confirmed threats and terrorist operations against Jordan."
He said that Jordan "gives the lives of innocent civilians outside its borders the same importance it gives to the lives of Jordanians and takes the necessary precautions to avoid harming civilians," noting that the Kingdom "refrained" from targeting sites where information reported the presence of civilians, expressing regret for the civilian casualties.
The raids targeted sites in the Al-Taf area in the Al-Masmiya region, and around the towns of Nasib and Al-Muzayrib in the Daraa countryside, according to SANA.
The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated that it informed the Jordanian side of its reservations about carrying out operations inside Syrian territory without prior coordination.
The Jordanian army announced in a statement on Monday that it had carried out raids targeting what it described as “terrorist organizations” in southern Syria, “in retaliation” for the victims of the attack on a church in Karak Governorate, south of the kingdom, indicating that the operation was “coordinated” with Damascus.
The Jordanian army named the operation "Jordanian Deterrence - Hamoud" after the village where the attack occurred, according to its statement in which it indicated that "the terrorists who carried out this criminal act are linked to these terrorist organizations."
On Monday morning, the Jordanian authorities announced the arrest of those suspected of carrying out the attack on Karak after an armed clash with them, during which they were seriously injured.
The Director of Public Security in Jordan, Major General Abdullah Al-Maaytah, announced on Monday the names of the attackers who belong to the same family, accusing them of “carrying Takfiri ideology.”
Al-Momani pointed out that there has been continuous institutional coordination between Jordan and Syria for years in the field of combating terrorism and arms and drug smuggling, announcing “the formation of a joint committee to follow up on the repercussions of the operation against ISIS and develop coordination in combating the organization.”
Momani affirmed Jordan's respect for the Syrian state and its people, stressing that ISIS "poses a common danger" to the two countries, and that the Kingdom will continue to support Syria's security and stability.
Jordanian media reported that hundreds of trucks, vehicles, and buses of passengers piled up on the road leading to the Jordanian Jaber border post on Tuesday, following the closure of the Nassib border crossing between Jordan and Syria in both directions.
The official Kingdom Channel reported that vehicles were lined up along a length of about three kilometers, and were prevented from entering the Jaber border center, indicating the presence of refrigerated trucks parked since the dawn hours, amid fears that the transported goods would be affected.
The closure came by a decision from the General Authority of Syrian Land and Sea Ports, against the backdrop of field developments in Daraa Governorate, southern Syria, following Jordanian air strikes that targeted sites in the region.
The channel reported circulating news about Jordanian vehicles being attacked near the Nassib crossing, but indicated that it was not possible to verify their authenticity.
The Jaber border center is one of the important land ports for transport and trade between Jordan and Syria, and it also constitutes a corridor for trucks heading between the Gulf countries and Europe. According to the Kingdom Channel, more than 350,000 trucks crossed through it during the current year.
Despite the Jordanian army's statement of coordination with the Syrian government, Damascus confirmed in a statement carried by its official news agency, SANA, that "this military operation was not previously coordinated with the Syrian side. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates also confirmed that it informed the Jordanian side of its complete reservations about carrying out operations inside Syrian territory without prior coordination."
The agency also quoted the Syrian government as saying, “The concerned authorities are following with great interest the developments on the ground in southern Syria following the raids carried out by the Jordanian Air Force... which led to civilian casualties, including children.”
While the Jordanian army said in its statement that "Royal Air Force fighters destroyed a number of terrorist sites, and the operation resulted in the killing and wounding of many members of these terrorist organizations and the destruction of a number of their vehicles."
