After a series of Jordanian airstrikes on southern Syria, which Amman called “Operation Jordanian Deterrence — Hamoud,” relatives of those killed demanded an explanation for why civilian homes and farms had been targeted. The son of a 72-year-old man said his father was a schoolteacher and a driver on a route to the Gulf, had no security-related history, and was well known to local residents. Another witness said his neighbor had been in an olive grove when his home was bombed, and that there were no armed men nearby.
Awwad al-Salim said the strike killed his brother, his brother’s wife, their 25-year-old son, and three other children—a girl and two boys. According to him, the family lived in a safe house, raised sheep, had no weapons, and was not involved in drug trafficking. He and other residents are demanding an explanation for why they were targeted.
The Syrian Civil Defence said its teams had responded to reports of airstrikes on four sites in the countryside of Daraa and Suwayda. Preliminary information indicated that the bodies of seven people had been recovered, including three children, three men, and a woman; three others, including a child, were injured. According to the organization, the first strike hit a tent in the village of Taf in the Lajat area, northeast of Daraa, killing five civilians from one family. Also killed were 80-year-old Riyad Qarad in the Shayih farms area near Nasib and 60-year-old Mutlaq Abu al-Khayl in Shuhayb, north of Suwayda. No casualties were reported in a strike on a house in Muzayrib. A correspondent for Syria al-An reported signs of six strikes in western rural Daraa and said that residents of one house were outside at the time of the bombing, while internal security forces were defusing an unexploded rocket.
Jordan says the operation was a response to an attack on a condolence gathering near St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church (Hamoud) in Karak last Friday, in which nine people were killed and 34 others injured. The Jordanian military said the strikes targeted “terrorist organization strongholds” in southern Syria and were “revenge for our martyrs” killed in Karak, adding that those who carried out the attack were linked to the airstrike targets. Jordanian authorities announced the arrest of three suspects: brothers Hazza and Mishal Zaidan Mohammed, and their relative Ahmed Sami Hussein. Public Security Director Obeidallah al-Maaytah said they were all from the same family and held takfirist views.
Syria’s Foreign Ministry expressed regret over the deaths and injuries in Daraa resulting from the Jordanian operation, saying Damascus was continuing to communicate and coordinate with Amman to establish the details and reasons for what happened. The Syrian government stressed that there had been no prior coordination with Jordan on the operation and announced an investigation. The tragedy in southern Syria has thus become the subject of two competing accounts: for some, it was an attack on civilians; for others, a retaliatory counterterrorism operation.
News Explainers
What is the Lajat area in southern Syria, and why is the village of Taf considered part of a distinct local environment? — Lajat (also known as Laja) is a remote volcanic basalt plateau in southern Syria, spanning parts of Daraa, Suwayda, and Quneitra governorates. Its lava fields, limited road network, and strong tribal, family, and religious ties make it an area where local intermediaries and customs often matter more than formal administrative control. Taf is seen as part of this distinct environment because life there is shaped by geographic isolation, clan and family ties, local dispute-resolution mechanisms, and cross-border connections—not just by its place within a particular administrative unit.
Why are St. George’s Church (Hamoud) in Karak and the condolence gatherings held there significant, and how does this relate to the name “Operation Hamoud”? — In Karak, Syria (Daraa governorate), St. George’s Church, associated with the name Hamoud, serves not only as a religious center but also as a community space for remembrance. Condolence gatherings there bring together local residents from different faiths, demonstrating neighborly solidarity and the role of local notables. In this context, the operation’s name, “Hamoud,” refers to this local focal point of collective memory, a family, or a local figure of authority, giving the military action a community-based rather than abstractly ideological justification.
What does the term “takfirist views” mean in the Jordanian and Syrian context, and what legal or social consequences can it have? — “Takfirist views” describes a tendency to declare other Muslims unbelievers (takfir) and is commonly used as shorthand for jihadist extremism. In Jordan and Syria, authorities and local communities use the term to discredit armed Islamist groups. Legally, it can lead to prosecution under counterterrorism laws, surveillance, travel restrictions, and criminal charges; socially, it can lead to stigmatization and suspicion, as well as the risk of unfairly applying the label to religious people.
Full article: "We want an explanation for what happened": Testimonies from Daraa after Jordanian airstrikes