Jordan strikes militants in Syria after church attack kills nine

Jordan's air force carried out airstrikes against armed groups in southern Syria in response to an attack on a Greek Orthodox church in Karak that killed nine people, according to The Guardian.

Jordan described the targets as 'terrorist groups' and said the strikes killed and wounded several militants and destroyed vehicles, though it did not specify the groups or exact locations of the strikes, The Guardian reported.

Syrian health officials told BBC News that five people, including women, children, and an elderly man, were killed in the strikes on a village in the southern Daraa province.

Jordan said it coordinated with the Syrian government before the strikes, but Syria stated it was not notified of the attack and responded by closing the Nassib border crossing with Jordan, suspending passenger and commercial traffic, according to BBC News.

Syria also announced it had opened communication channels with Jordanian officials and launched investigations to determine the full circumstances of the attack, as reported by BBC News.

Al Jazeera confirmed the strikes targeted southern Syria and resulted in casualties, including children, in the Deraa countryside.

The incident follows the church attack in Karak on Friday, which left nine dead and 34 injured, prompting Jordan's military response.