Jordan launched airstrikes against militant positions in southern Syria on Monday after gunmen massacred nine worshipper...

Jordan launched airstrikes against militant positions in southern Syria on Monday after gunmen massacred nine worshippers at St George's Greek Orthodox Church in Hamoud, Karak, last Friday. The attack targeted mourners gathered for a funeral, with three gunmen opening fire at the entrance before storming inside. At least 25 more were wounded in the assault. Syrian authorities reported seven civilians killed in the retaliatory strikes, including three children and a woman, five of them members of a single family struck in a tent in the village of Al-Tai in Daraa province. An 80-year-old man died in Al Shayyah and a 60-year-old man in Shahba, in Suwayda province. Jordan's government said on Tuesday its strikes killed more than 20 Islamic State militants and that Communication Minister Mohammed al-Momani expressed regret over the reported civilian deaths. The two sides gave conflicting accounts on coordination. Jordan said Damascus had been informed ahead of the operation. Syria denied any prior notification, called the strikes a "treacherous attack," and said it had launched an investigation into the violations of its sovereignty. Hours before the airstrikes, Jordanian security forces arrested three suspects in Karak after a three-hour armed standoff. The men, two brothers and their brother-in-law, refused to surrender and were wounded before being taken into custody. Police recovered firearms and substantial quantities of ammunition at the scene. Syria shut the Nassib border crossing, the only passenger and commercial land crossing between the two countries, suspending traffic in both directions following the strikes. Jordan's King Abdullah II, who visited the wounded in hospital, vowed the harshest penalties for those responsible and ordered a full review of national security procedures. Christians make up roughly 3 percent of Jordan's population of 11.5 million. #Jordan #Syria #GreekOrthodoxChurch