Jordan has carried out airstrikes in southern Syria in response to a church attack that killed nine people, saying its forces targeted Islamic State strongholds.
Gunmen opened fire during a funeral at the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint George in the village of Hammoud, in Jordan’s Karak governorate, on Friday. Nine people were killed and at least 34 were injured.
Jordanian security forces arrested three suspects on Monday following an exchange of gunfire. Officials said the men - two brothers and their brother-in-law - were found in an abandoned house and were wounded before being detained.
Jordanian authorities allege that the suspects have links to militant groups operating across the border. Government spokesman Mohammed al-Momani said more than 20 Islamic State militants were killed in Monday’s operation.
Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya said investigations were continuing.
Syria said seven people, including three children and a woman, died in the airstrikes. Al-Momani expressed regret over the civilian casualties.
The cross-border operation has prompted disagreement between Amman and Damascus. Jordan said it had coordinated the strikes with Syria, while the Syrian government denied receiving advance notification and announced an investigation.
Syria’s foreign ministry condemned the operation as a breach of national sovereignty. Nevertheless, Damascus said it would work with Jordan on a joint security committee intended to improve border security and help prevent further incidents.
Patriarch Theophilos III, Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem, has visited survivors of the attack in hospital. He was accompanied by His Eminence Metropolitan Isychios and a number of priests in his visit to Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein Military Hospital and the Italian Hospital, where the injured are being treated.
The Patriarch condemned the attack in a statement and vowed that it will not undermine inter-faith unity in Jordan.
"Despite the immense pain felt throughout all of Jordan, and by all honorable people across the world, this abhorrent, bloody act will not undermine our national unity or our steadfastness," he said.
"On the contrary, it only strengthens the bond between Christians and Muslims, uniting us more firmly around our Hashemite leadership. If the intent behind this message is to uproot us from our Holy Land and displace us, it will only serve to strengthen our attachment to it and deepen our roots within it.
"No matter how intense the events around us may become, or what hardships may befall us, we shall not be driven to leave our land. We are the children of this land, its very roots, and partners in its history, its present, and its future.
"We shall remain here as witnesses to the faith, regardless of how great the challenges or how severe the trials may be.
"We hold an absolute conviction that our Jordanian society will remain resilient against any dark, extremist ideology, and that this criminal act is entirely alien and contrary to the moderate Islam practiced in our country."
