Civilians reportedly killed as Jordan hits Syria in reprisal for funeral massacre

The Jordanian military launched retaliatory airstrikes against militant targets in southern Syria on Monday, 26 October, following the arrest of three suspects linked to a deadly church shooting in Karak governorate. The Royal Jordanian Air Force targeted positions in Syria’s Daraa province, which Amman identifies as a base for terrorist organisations connected to the perpetrators of Friday's massacre. Military Retaliation and Civilian Toll Military officials confirmed that Jordanian jets destroyed several militant positions, reporting numerous casualties among groups linked to the church attack. However, Syria’s state news agency, SANA, reported that the strikes resulted in the deaths of eight civilians, including an elderly man and three children, in Daraa. The Jordanian government maintains the operation was a direct response to the 23 October attack at the Greek Orthodox St George’s Church in Hammoud, where gunmen killed nine people during a funeral service. Arrests and Security Operation Hours before the airstrikes, Major General Abdullah al-Maaytah, Director of Public Security, announced the capture of three Jordanian suspects: Hazza Zaidan Mohammed, Meshal Zaidan Mohammed, and Ahmad Sami Hussein. The trio, including two brothers, were apprehended after a shootout at an abandoned house. Security forces seized a cache of weapons and ammunition at the scene. All three suspects were injured during the raid and are currently under medical treatment; one remains in…