Syria Closes Nassib Border Crossing With Jordan
Jordan said the strikes targeted armed group positions and were coordinated with Damascus, which denied any prior coordination and opened direct communication with Amman to discuss the incident, as five civilians including women and children were killed
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - Syria's General Directorate of Border Crossings and Customs announced Tuesday the closure of the Nassib border crossing with Jordan, citing the current situation and field changes in the Daraa area, hours after Jordanian warplanes struck positions in southern Syria in an operation that killed five civilians including women and children.
The directorate stated in an official announcement that the closure is due to current conditions and field developments in Daraa, and confirmed the suspension of movement of travelers and commercial cargo convoys from both sides, with the aim of protecting the safety of travelers and crossing personnel. The directorate said it is continuously monitoring field developments and taking necessary measures to ensure everyone's safety, without specifying a timeline for reopening or resumption of traffic.
The closure came hours after Jordanian fighter jets struck several positions in the Daraa area of southern Syria. According to Syrian health authorities, five civilians were killed in the strikes, including women and children, and an unspecified number of others were wounded. Jordan's military said the airstrikes targeted what it described as armed group positions in southern Syria, framing them as a response to last Friday's attack on a church in Jordan's Karak Governorate, which killed nine people and wounded dozens more.
Jordan emphasized that the strikes were conducted in coordination with Damascus. The Syrian government, however, denied any prior coordination, stating it was investigating the circumstances of the strikes and had opened direct communication with Amman to discuss the consequences of the incident.
The Nassib crossing, located on the Syrian side facing Jordan's Jaber crossing, is one of Syria's most important land crossings and serves as the primary corridor for the movement of travelers, cargo convoys, and commercial exchange between Syria and Jordan, also playing a significant role in the transit of goods to other regional markets. Its closure removes a critical economic artery at a moment when Syria's new government under President al-Sharaa is working to restore international relationships and economic connectivity.
Syrian President al-Sharaa told Kurdistan 24 earlier this year that Damascus has good economic and security ties with the Kurdistan Regional Government and with President Masoud Barzani and PM Masrour Barzani, reflecting the new Syrian leadership's effort to broaden regional partnerships. The Nassib closure and the Jordan-Syria disagreement over the strike's coordination status represent a significant test of the new Damascus-Amman relationship at a sensitive early stage.