OMM Newsroom
Jordan and Syria agreed late Tuesday to set up a joint security committee to investigate deadly Jordanian airstrikes in southern Syria and improve coordination to protect civilians and safeguard Syrian sovereignty, according to a joint statement reported by Anadolu Agency.
The agreement followed a phone call between Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi. The committee will examine Monday’s strikes and their aftermath, and develop mechanisms for intelligence sharing and coordination on the ground.
Safadi expressed “deep regret and sorrow” over civilian deaths and offered condolences to the Syrian people, the statement said. He said the strikes targeted ISIS (Daesh) sites, based on intelligence about confirmed threats and imminent attacks against Jordan.
Safadi also affirmed Jordan’s respect for Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, saying the security and stability of the two countries were linked.
The ministers stressed the need for direct security coordination to counter shared threats, protect civilians, and combat cross-border weapons and drug smuggling.
Seven people were killed and three injured in the strikes, Syria’s Al-Ekhbariya TV reported early Tuesday, citing Daraa province’s health directorate.
Syria’s government said the operation took place without prior coordination with Damascus. Its Foreign Ministry later said it had conveyed its objections to Jordan.
The Jordanian army announced Monday that it had struck sites belonging to groups it linked to Friday’s attack on mourners at a church in Hamoud village, in Jordan’s southern Karak province. Nine people were killed in the church attack, according to Jordan’s Public Security Directorate.
