Syria closes main border crossing with Jordan after airstrikes in south

Syria has closed the Nassib border crossing with Jordan on Tuesday, suspending passenger and commercial traffic in both directions due to developments on the ground in Daraa province, the Syrian General Authority for Border Crossings and Customs said in a statement.

The Nassib border crossing is Jordan's only passenger and commercial border crossing with Syria.

The closure came after Jordan's air force struck what it described as rebel hideouts in southern Syria, saying suspects behind last week's deadly church attack in the kingdom were linked to "terrorist groups" operating there.

The armed forces said the operation was conducted in coordination with Damascus. Syria's government gave a contradictory account, saying it had launched an investigation into the Jordanian attacks, and stressed in a statement the importance of field and security coordination in border areas.

Damascus informed Jordan of its "complete reservation" over the strikes without prior coordination, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Seven people, including three children and a woman, were killed and three others were wounded in the Jordanian strikes, the Syrian Civil Defence said in a preliminary report. It said emergency teams responded to four sites hit by the strikes in the countryside of Daraa and Sweida provinces.

There was no immediate comment from Jordan on that account.

The Nassib border crossing is Jordan's only passenger and commercial border crossing with Syria.

Earlier on Monday, senior government security officials said Jordanian security forces had arrested two brothers and their brother-in-law after a shootout on Monday over the church violence that killed nine people.

"God willing, they only represent themselves," said Jordan's Director of Public Security, Major-General Obeidallah al-Maaytah.

Such violence is rare in Jordan, a relatively stable US ally in the Middle East. Friday's attack on the Christian minority prompted King Abdullah to order security forces to respond with an "iron fist".

In a press conference, al-Maaytah and Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya said the country would not tolerate extremist terrorism.

"The file has not yet been closed; investigations are still ongoing. As of today, there are no indications of any links between them and other cells," al-Faraya added.