Amman — Jordan, Syria Give Conflicting Accounts of Deadly Strike

Jordan's air force struck sites in the southern Syrian regions of Deraa and Suwayda on Monday evening, killing more than 20 ISIL (ISIS) fighters, Jordanian authorities said, according to Al Jazeera. By Tuesday, images circulating in Syria showed a different result: a grandmother and her three grandchildren killed in the strikes, fueling public anger that has not fully subsided, Al Jazeera reported.

What Did Jordan Say About the Strike on Southern Syria?

Jordan described the operation as hitting "dens of terrorist organisations in southern Syria" tied to suspects in last week's attack on a Greek Orthodox church in the kingdom, which was claimed by ISIL, according to Jordanian authorities cited by Al Jazeera. Jordan also said the strikes were carried out in coordination with authorities in Damascus.

How Does Damascus's Account Differ?

Syria's government has contradicted that claim of coordination, Al Jazeera reported, without Damascus offering its own detailed account of the strike's targets or toll in the material reviewed. The gap between the two governments' versions of events has become the center of public frustration inside Syria, where the dead grandmother and grandchildren have come to symbolize the strike's civilian cost.

What Prompted the Jordanian Strikes?

The attack followed an assault on a Greek Orthodox church in the village of Hamoud, in Jordan's Karak governorate roughly 120km (75 miles) southwest of Amman, that killed nine people and wounded at least 34 others, Jordanian authorities said, per Al Jazeera. King Abdullah II vowed to respond with an "iron fist," and Jordanian authorities arrested three men connected to the church attack the same day the airstrikes were launched. Sean Yom, an expert on Jordan at Temple University, told Al Jazeera the church attack was "especially brazen given the Christian church and the nature of the event being targeted," adding that it created "popular demands to show results from the investigation and arrest of the perpetrators."

By the numbers:

• 20+ — ISIL fighters Jordan says were killed in Monday's strikes
• 9 killed, 34+ wounded — toll from the Oct. 2026 church attack in Karak, Jordan
• 120km (75 miles) — distance from Hamoud village to Amman

Why Is Public Anger Rising in Syria?

Jordan has struck Syrian territory before, including attacks that caused civilian deaths, Al Jazeera noted, but this episode has drawn sharper public reaction. Navvar Saban, a researcher in security and military affairs at the Arab Center for Contemporary Syrian Studies, told Al Jazeera the anger "also reflects an expectation that the authorities in Damascus should now be able to protect Syrians and demand answers when they are killed or harmed."

What Do Analysts Say Accountability Requires?

"If people feel Damascus is more concerned with protecting the relationship with the Jordanians than accountability, some of the anger could turn inward," Saban told Al Jazeera.

That warning underscores the stakes for Syria's government as it manages both a security relationship with Amman and public expectations at home following the deaths in Deraa and Suwayda. Neither government, as reported by Al Jazeera, has reconciled its account of who ordered the strike, what it targeted, or how civilians were killed alongside the ISIL fighters Jordan says it was pursuing.