Jordan strikes armed groups in Syria following deadly church attack

The Jordanian air force carried out airstrikes against armed groups in Syria on Monday, October 26, 2026, according to statements reported by the Guardian and DW. Jordanian military officials said the operation targeted hidden militant hideouts tied to a terror attack on a Greek Orthodox church funeral in Jordan last week, the Guardian and DW reported. [1][2]

Outlets differed on the casualty count of the earlier church attack. The Guardian and France 24 reported that nine people were killed in the assault. As FTMQ News reported earlier on October 23, at least six people were killed and 28 were wounded when gunmen opened fire during a funeral service at Saint George's Greek Orthodox Church in the village of Hammoud, which the Guardian also named as Karak. [1][4][13]

France 24 reported that Jordanian authorities arrested three suspects on Monday who were wounded during a dawn raid prior to the strikes. The Jordanian military stated that its strikes killed and wounded many members of terrorist groups and destroyed several vehicles, as reported by the Guardian. DW reported that Jordan said the strikes in southeastern Syria were conducted in coordination with Damascus. [1][2][4]

Syrian sources provided a different account of the military action. The Washington Post reported that Syrian authorities said five people were killed in the strikes, while Arab News reported that Damascus said eight civilians were killed in southern Syria. [2][3][7]