Syria has closed the Nassib border crossing with Jordan, suspending all passenger and commercial traffic in both directions, after Jordanian airstrikes in southern Syria sharply raised tensions between the two neighbours. The Nassib border crossing, known as Jaber on the Jordanian side, is the only passenger and commercial crossing between Jordan and Syria, making its closure a significant disruption to movement and trade.
Syria’s General Authority for Border Crossings and Customs announced the closure on Tuesday, 27 October, citing developments on the ground in Daraa province. The decision, it said, was taken to ensure the safety of travellers and workers at the crossing, and Syria said it had opened direct channels of communication with Jordanian officials.
FAKTA
- The Nassib border crossing, known as Jaber in Jordan, was closed by Syria on Tuesday, 27 October 2026.
- All passenger and commercial traffic in both directions has been suspended.
- Nassib is the only passenger and commercial border crossing between Jordan and Syria.
- The closure followed Jordanian airstrikes on Monday, 26 October, in the southern Syrian provinces of Daraa and Sweida.
- Syria’s Civil Defence said seven people, including three children and a woman, were killed in the strikes; health officials later said hospitals in Daraa had received eight victims.
- Jordan says the strikes targeted militant hideouts linked to last week’s deadly church attack in Jordan, in which nine people were killed.
Why Jordan Struck Across the Border
Jordan said on Monday that its air force struck what it described as militant hideouts in southern Syria after determining that the suspects behind last week’s deadly attack on a church in Jordan were linked to “terrorist groups” operating there. The church attack, in Jordan’s Karak governorate on 23 October, killed nine people and wounded dozens more.
Jordan’s armed forces said the operation was carried out in coordination with Damascus. Syria’s government gave a different account, saying it had launched an investigation into the Jordanian attacks and stressing the importance of coordination in border areas. Its foreign ministry said Damascus had informed Jordan of its “complete reservation” over the strikes without prior coordination.
Earlier on Monday, Jordanian security forces arrested two brothers and their brother-in-law after a shootout in the village of al-Jadeeda in Karak. The three men are suspects in the church attack. Jordan’s King Abdullah had ordered security forces to respond with an “iron fist” after the attack on the Christian minority, in a country where such violence is rare.
What the Nassib Border Crossing Closure Means
The Nassib crossing is a vital artery for the two countries: it carries passengers, commercial goods and, in recent years, aid convoys. Its suspension halts that flow entirely until the crossing reopens, with no alternative passenger or commercial crossing available.
The episode also exposes a rare public disagreement between Amman and Damascus over coordination. Jordan maintains the strikes were coordinated; Syria says they were not, and its investigation into the attacks is under way. Both governments have said they are in contact, but neither has said when the crossing might reopen.
For more coverage of the region, see Watan News Middle East coverage.
