Activists report alleged Jordanian air strikes in southern Syria claiming 10 lives

Local activists and media report that at least 10 people, including children, have been killed in suspected Jordanian air strikes in south-western Syria. The strikes allegedly destroyed several homes in the town of Arman, located in Suweida province near the border. Authorities in Jordan have not yet commented on the incident, but it is believed that the country's forces have conducted air strikes in Syria in the past year to target suspected drug smugglers and their facilities. Jordan and its Western allies claim that Iran-backed militias, operating in government-controlled areas of Syria, are responsible for a surge in smuggling into Jordan, particularly of the highly demanded amphetamine Captagon. Witnesses state that the latest strikes occurred in residential areas of Arman and nearby Malah. The strikes resulted in the deaths of two men, along with various family members including children, who were trapped under the rubble of their collapsed homes. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, reports that nine people were killed in the strikes on Arman, including five women and two children. It condemns what it calls a "massacre" and accuses Jordanian warplanes of violating Syrian territory for the third time this year. These strikes also targeted a damaged warehouse and a nearby house in Malah, but no casualties were reported. Previous strikes on 8 January resulted in three deaths and were deemed an escalation by Jordan in their efforts against drug dealers. Jordanian forces are said to target farms suspected of storing drugs before they are smuggled across the border, as well as known drug dealers' hideouts. Additionally, the Jordanian army recently announced that it killed five individuals in clashes with armed smugglers attempting to cross from Syria.