Jordan says raids in southern Syria killed more than 20 ISIS fighters as Damascus condemns strikes and halts passenger and freight traffic

Jordan’s government defended its cross-border air raids in southern Syria today, saying they killed more than 20 ISIS fighters and destroyed a major weapons depot. Government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said Amman acted after its patience ran out with terrorist groups operating near the border.

Syrian health officials and local civil defense units reported that the raids killed at least seven civilians, including women and children, in the countryside of Daraa and Suwayda. Damascus condemned the strikes as an unprovoked violation of Syrian sovereignty and halted all passenger and freight traffic along the primary trade artery between the two countries.

Al-Momani said the military response followed an attack on a church in the Jordanian village of Hamoud near Karak, where gunmen opened fire on a Christian funeral, killing nine people and wounding 25. He said Jordanian forces tried to avoid civilian areas and that Amman regretted any collateral casualties.

The raids have triggered a severe diplomatic dispute and led to the closure of the strategic Nassib border crossing between Jordan and Syria.