Syria seals its only crossing with Jordan after airstrikes kill seven, Damascus says

The crossing closes

Syria closed the Nassib border crossing with Jordan on Tuesday, Oct. 27, suspending passenger and commercial traffic in both directions, Syria's General Authority for Border Crossings and Customs said.

The authority cited developments on the ground in Daraa province, according to Reuters, and said the measure was intended to ensure the safety of travellers and border personnel. Nassib is Jordan's only passenger and commercial crossing with Syria.

Strikes follow a deadly church attack

The closure followed Jordanian airstrikes on Monday on sites in southern Syria that Jordan's armed forces described as hideouts of militant groups, according to Jordan's official Petra news agency.

Jordan said the strikes were retaliation for a deadly attack on a church funeral in Karak governorate on Friday that killed nine Christians, and alleged those responsible were linked to militant organizations operating in southern Syria, Reuters reported.

The Jordanian military said the operation was conducted in coordination with the Syrian government, and that it killed and wounded members of the groups and destroyed vehicles and equipment, without giving specific casualty figures.

Damascus disputes coordination — and reports civilian deaths

Syria's government gave a contradictory account, saying it had launched an investigation into the Jordanian attacks and informing Jordan of its "complete reservation" over strikes carried out without prior coordination, according to its foreign ministry.

Syria's Civil Defence said in a preliminary report that seven people, including three children and a woman, were killed and three others wounded in strikes on four sites in the countryside of Daraa and Sweida provinces, Reuters reported. Those casualty figures come from Syrian authorities and have not been independently verified.

There was no immediate comment from Jordan on the Syrian casualty account.

A rare rupture between neighbours

Such violence is rare in Jordan, a relatively stable U.S. ally in the Middle East, and Friday's attack on the Christian minority prompted King Abdullah to order security forces to respond with an "iron fist," Reuters reported.

The dispute over whether Damascus was consulted now sits at the centre of the fallout: Jordan says the operation was coordinated; Syria says it was not told in advance. What happens to the crossing — and to cross-border trade and travel — depends on whether the two governments can close that gap.