SANA: Syria hands the Jordanian ambassador a protest note after the bombing of Daraa

The official Syrian News Agency (SANA) said on Wednesday that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Jordanian ambassador to Damascus and handed him a protest note due to the air strikes that targeted Daraa Governorate, which Amman announced had targeted “terrorist sites” and expressed its regret for the civilian casualties during them. SANA quoted the Media Department of the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as saying that "the Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the Syrian Arab Republic, Sufyan al-Qudah, was summoned and handed over to him a note of protest against the backdrop of the Jordanian bombing that targeted civilian sites in Daraa Governorate, and resulted in civilian martyrs, including children, and the injury of others."

On Tuesday, the two countries announced that they had reached an agreement to form a joint security committee to investigate the strikes on areas in southern Syria, which they said included “terrorist organizations” linked to the attack on a church in the village of Hamoud in Karak Governorate, on Friday. According to the Syrian News Agency, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani and his Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Al-Safadi, agreed to “form a joint security committee to find out all the details and facts of the recent operations and follow up on their repercussions, and to develop field and intelligence coordination mechanisms to deal with terrorist threats, in a way that ensures the preservation of Syrian sovereignty and the protection of the lives of innocent civilians.”

In Jordan, Petra News Agency reported that Al-Safadi "stressed Jordan's full respect for Syria's sovereignty, territorial integrity, security, stability, and the safety of its citizens." While the Minister of Government Communications and official spokesman for the Jordanian government, Muhammad Al-Momani, confirmed that Jordan carried out the strikes in southern Syria after it “ran out of patience,” and announced the formation of a joint committee to follow up on the repercussions of the operation against ISIS and develop coordination in combating the terrorist organization.