A powerful move. Today, a Christian delegation came to offer condolences for the civilians killed in last night's Jordanian airstrikes in Lajat (NE. #Daraa). Located near the border with Suwayda province, the area has a small number of Christian-majority villages, whose communities are mostly Melkite Greek Catholic. These villages were largely depopulated during the war due to Regime bombardment, which included damage to Churches during the Russian-led offensive of Summer 2018: xitter.cf/QalaatAlMudiq/status/1… After Assad's fall, some Christian residents began returning, like in other regions, but no official stats are currently available for this specific area. The presence of local Christians mourning civilian victims, incl. children from one family, further undermines Amman's claim that the strikes hit #ISIS hideouts & killed 20+ fighters. Jordan officially labelled the airstrikes carried out last night in S. #Syria as retaliation for the killing of 9-10 Jordanian Christians last week by suspected IS elements.

#Syria hardened its stance on the Jordanian attack carried out yesterday in the South. While the Syrian Foreign Ministry initially expressed "reservations" about the Jordanian airstrikes in a statement last night, this morning, as the civilian death toll was confirmed, Damascus officially condemned the attack, calling it an unacceptable violation of its airspace & the principles of good neighborly relations. Jordan maintained its official line, saying 20+ #ISIS terrorists were killed & a "major ammunition depot" destroyed, while also expressing "regret" over the civilian casualties. Amman also stated it ran out of patience with the presence of terrorists near its border. Such wording is surprising given the high level of relations between Damascus & Amman, incl. through a joint security committee. The death toll stands at 7: one woman, 3 children, a young & and 2 elderly men - most were killed in the remote tribal area of Lajat (red dot on the map). Joint investigations are ongoing to identify the failures that occurred last night & a joint committee will be formed to fight ISIS. But in an unusual remark, Syrian foreign minister said the incident was the result of "suspicious parties" seeking to undermine relations between the 2 countries - hence the question: how did Jordan obtain the coordinates it bombed? Today, Nasib border crossing - the only crossing between Syria & Jordan - is closed after protests erupted last night on the Syrian side. This hurts both countries, but Damascus even more, as vital goods & reconstruction materials transit through the crossing every day. Both sides are expected to work to avoid a diplomatic crisis, but this situation could have been easily avoided with proper communication.

Massacre of civilians committed by Jordanian Air Force in #Daraa countryside is now appearing in official Damascus media. The Jordanian Army officialy claimed the retaliatory strikes were carried out in "collaboration" with the Syrian Government. A family home was destroyed with at least 5 children & women killed. Answers are needed.