Syria’s Foreign Ministry summoned Jordanian Ambassador Sufyan al-Qudah and handed him a protest note over Jordanian airstrikes on civilian sites in Daraa province in the country’s south. The Syrian news agency SANA reported the move on Wednesday. According to the Foreign Ministry, civilians, including children, were killed in the strikes, and several others were injured.
Jordan says its aircraft struck Islamic State militant positions in the countryside of Daraa on Monday. Syrian authorities say seven people were killed—three children and a woman among them—and three were wounded. The strikes came days after an armed attack on a church in the southern Jordanian city of Karak, in which nine people were reportedly killed.
Against the backdrop of the incident, the foreign ministers of the two countries, Asaad al-Shaibani and Ayman Safadi, spoke by phone on Tuesday and agreed to set up a joint security committee to establish all the circumstances surrounding what happened in Daraa. According to a joint statement, the sides also intend to develop mechanisms for coordination on the ground and intelligence-sharing to counter terrorist threats, while respecting Syria’s sovereignty and protecting civilian lives.
Damascus nevertheless told Jordan that it was completely opposed to operations on Syrian territory without prior coordination. Following the raids, Syria’s General Authority for Ports and Customs closed the Nassib border crossing “due to the current circumstances,” then reopened it. The sides are thus seeking to ease tensions, but the incident in Daraa remains a serious irritant in bilateral relations.
News Context
- Why does Daraa province remain particularly sensitive for Damascus, and what local armed groups and cross-border networks operate there? — Daraa is sensitive because it was the birthplace of the 2011 protests, is a southern gateway to Damascus, and lies near the borders with Jordan and the Golan Heights. After the 2018 “reconciliation” agreements, Damascus gained control of the center, but local networks retained autonomy, and any incident could undermine the agreements and provoke outside intervention. The area is home to remnants of former rebel factions and local “reconciled” groups, including formations linked to the 8th Brigade and Russian forces; clan militias; Islamic State cells in the Yarmouk Basin; and smuggling networks tied to tribal and commercial connections across the Jordanian border. The main flows involve drugs—especially Captagon—as well as weapons, people, and goods.
- What role does the Nassib border crossing play in Syrian-Jordanian relations, and why does its temporary closure matter for trade and security? — Nassib, known as Jaber on the Jordanian side, is the main commercial crossing between Syria and Jordan and a key route for Syrian trade with Jordan and the Gulf countries. It carries exports, imports, transit goods, and humanitarian supplies. A temporary closure disrupts supply chains, pushes up prices, and hurts traders. It also signals heightened risks, including drug and arms smuggling, clashes, or weak border control. That is why the crossing’s operating status is often linked to security, Damascus’s control, and Jordanian concerns over Captagon and Iranian influence.
Full version: Syria summons Jordanian ambassador to protest strikes on Daraa