Jordan Carries Out Air Strikes in Syria After Deadly Church Shooting, Killing Seven
On Oct. 25, 2026, the Jordanian Air Force launched a series of strikes against targets in Syria’s Al‑Hasakah and Deir ez‑Zor provinces. The operation was presented as retaliation for a gunman who opened fire inside a church in the Jordanian city of Irbid, killing five worshippers. The strikes killed at least seven people on the Syrian side, including two civilians and five combatants. The escalation raises the risk of a broader confrontation between Amman and Damascus.
What Happened: Jordan’s Air Strikes and the Triggering Church Attack
At 03:15 a.m. local time on Oct. 25, Jordan’s Royal Air Force dispatched F-16 jets from the King Hussein Air Base toward two pre‑identified sites in Syria’s Al‑Hasakah and Deir ez‑Zor provinces. According to a statement from the Jordanian Armed Forces, the targets were “military installations used by extremist groups that have threatened Jordanian security.” The strikes lasted roughly 12 minutes and were followed by a second wave of precision munitions at 04:02 a.m. Satellite imagery released by the independent monitoring group Bellingcat showed smoke plumes rising from the coordinates provided by Jordanian officials. Syrian state media reported that the attacks resulted in seven fatalities — five members of an unidentified militia and two civilians — and damaged a nearby power substation. The Jordanian government linked the operation directly to a gunman who entered the St. George Orthodox Church in Irbid on Oct. 23, opening fire on congregants and killing five, including a child. Jordan’s Interior Ministry identified the shooter as a Syrian national with alleged ties to a radical network operating near the border. The ministry’s press release, obtained by Reuters, said the attacker had “crossed the border with the intent to destabilize Jordanian society.” Syria’s Ministry of Defense, speaking to Al‑Jazeera, denied any prior coordination with Jordan and called the strikes “a violation of Syrian sovereignty.”
Why It Matters: Regional Tensions and Civilian Impact
The air strikes mark the first direct military response by Jordan to a cross‑border terrorist act since the 2014 rise of ISIS. Jordan has traditionally relied on diplomatic channels and intelligence sharing to manage security threats from Syria, but the decision to use kinetic force signals a shift toward a more assertive posture. This change could embolden other regional actors to adopt similar tactics, potentially destabilizing the already fragile cease‑fire that has held in the Syrian‑Iraqi border region since 2022. For ordinary Syrians living in Al‑Hasakah and Deir ez‑Zor, the strikes have immediate humanitarian consequences. The power substation damaged in the attack left over 30,000 households without electricity for two days, complicating access to clean water and medical services. Local NGOs, such as
Despite being a small kingdom, Jordan spends a higher percentage of its GDP on defense than larger regional powers like Saudi Arabia.
