Syria summons Jordanian ambassador over airstrikes in Daraa; the sides report conflicting casualty figures

Protest note after strikes in Daraa

On October 28, Syria summoned Jordanian Ambassador Sufian al-Qudah to Damascus and handed him an official note of protest over Jordanian airstrikes in the southern province of Daraa, the SANA news agency reported, citing the media service of the Syrian Foreign Ministry. The note concerns strikes on civilian facilities, whose victims, according to Syrian authorities, were civilians, including children. Damascus regarded the strikes as a violation of sovereignty and said they were carried out without coordination with the Syrian side.

Joint committee and diverging assessments

The ambassador's summons came a day after Syria and Jordan, following a phone call between Foreign Ministers Asaad al-Shaibani and Ayman Safadi, agreed to establish a joint security committee to investigate the strikes, strengthen coordination and protect civilians. According to Anadolu, Safadi expressed deep regret over the casualties and offered condolences to the Syrian people, saying the strikes had targeted ISIS positions (an organization banned in Russia) based on intelligence about confirmed threats and planned attacks on Jordan.

Conflicting casualty figures

The two sides give substantially different accounts of the strikes carried out on Monday. According to Syrian authorities, seven people were killed. Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani, for his part, said on Tuesday that the strikes killed more than 20 ISIS members and destroyed a large weapons depot. The Jordanian military linked the operation to an attack on a funeral procession near a church in the southern Jordanian province of Kerak on Friday, in which nine people were killed. Which of the casualty estimates corresponds to reality has not yet been established based on available reports; the investigation is to be handled by the joint committee being created.