Jordan

India on Saturday unequivocally condemned an attack on a church in Jordan's Karak governorate that left at least seven people dead and 34 wounded. New Delhi said it stands "firmly" with the government and the "friendly people" of Jordan in "this difficult hour". Seven people were killed and 34 others sustained injuries when gunmen opened fire at a funeral in the church in Hmoud locality of Karak governorate on Friday, according to authorities in Jordan. "India unequivocally condemns the heinous attack at a Church in Karak, Jordan on October 23 which resulted in the tragic loss of several innocent lives and injuries to many others," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. "We extend our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and wish a swift recovery to those injured in this cowardly attack," it said in a statement. "We also reaffirm our strong commitment to the fight against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations," the MEA added. External Affairs Minister S ..

Gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a church in Jordan on Friday, killing seven people and wounding 40 others, authorities said. The shooting took place at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, about 180 kilometres (110 miles) south of the capital, Amman. Footage broadcast on Jordanian state television showed two gunmen who appear to be holding pistols approaching the church and firing shots. A third man who appears to be holding a semiautomatic rifle then approaches and opens fire, and all three then run toward the church. Video footage taken by witnesses shows broken glass and pools of blood on the floor of the church. Dorgham Halasa, who was among the mourners inside the church, said intense gunfire erupted 15 minutes after the funeral had started, and then people started running. "It was a weird situation, and heavy gunfire," Halasa said. He did not see the gunmen, but said other people reported seeing four of them. The Associated Press could not independently verify the number

No American casualties or fatalities were reported from the strikes on the Jordanian base

The latest escalation comes as the US and Iran exchange strikes, with Washington targeting Iranian oil tankers and Tehran retaliating against US forces stationed in Jordan

Jordan, a staunch US ally that hosts American forces in the Mideast, has paid a price for its relationship with Washington, which has made the kingdom's military bases a target of repeat Iranian strikes. Hundreds of drone and missile attacks have added to other strains on Jordan that include a slumping economy and volatility in the neighbouring West Bank, where Israeli settlers have ramped up attacks on Palestinians. Despite the risk of more strikes, Jordanian leaders say they are committed to maintaining the relationship after decades of courting deeper security ties with American officials and offering to be a reliable partner with the West in a region rocked by conflict. Analysts say the alliance offers Jordan a way to guard against Iran's attempts to destabilise its neighbours. King Abdullah II of Jordan seemed to acknowledge the need for such alliances last year, when he warned that destabilisation fuelled by the COVID-19 crisis, Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and ...

US Central Command said that the blockade remains in place against Iran and, as of Sunday, they have redirected 83 commercial vessels, disabled 3 and boarded 2 to ensure compliance with the blockade

Iran claims it destroyed US F-35 fighter jets at Jordan's Al-Azraq Air Base after American strikes on Qeshm Island, as tensions between Tehran and Washington escalate

Jordan's air defences shot down five missiles launched from Iran Thursday morning, the spokesman for the country's armed forces said, according to Jordan's state-run Petra news agency. The news agency said no casualties were reported. The interceptions come after the US military said it had completed "a heavy wave of strikes against Iran," conducted in response to an earlier Iranian missile attack on a US base in Jordan. Central Command said in a social media post that for over two hours the US had struck "dozens" of targets belonging to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, including military command centres as well as missile and drone facilities, and coastal surveillance and defense sites.

Jordan's air defences intercepted five missiles launched from Iran early Wednesday, the country's military said, hours after the US military said it had knocked down an Iranian missile barrage launched against American forces in the Middle East, shattering a brief pause in fighting. In a statement, the Jordanian military said the missiles had been "intercepted and destroyed." Earlier, US Central Command said they "remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness," and that it worked with Saudi Arabia's forces to strike sites in Iraq that Tehran-backed militias have used to launch attacks in recent days. In announcing the strikes in Iraq, the US warned that further attacks on American troops or Saudi Arabia's energy infrastructure risked additional action. The United States and Iran had experienced a period of calm, during which neither announced attacks for about three days following weeks of escalation over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf waterway and narrow ...

The US military has confirmed that a third service member is believed to be dead in Friday's attack on a base in Jordan and identified them as Sgt Angel S Rampersad, 28, of New York. The confirmation brings the death toll to 18 US service members killed since the war began. On Monday, the Pentagon identified 1st Lt Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Pvt Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, as the two other soldiers who were killed in Jordan in Friday's attacks. The soldiers were killed by Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks in the first troop deaths from direct Iranian fire since the opening days of the war. They were deployed to support a US mission against the Islamic State group, a US Central Command statement said. After the attack, US Central Command announced that two servicemembers were killed and another was missing. The following day, the military command said that troops found unidentified remains and that an examination process to verify the

Tehran said it carried out drone strikes on US military base in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain under 'Operation Lightning', hours after Washington's seventh consecutive night of attacks on Iranian targets

Jordan said Wednesday it shot down three missiles launched by Iran targeting the kingdom. The Iranian attack, earlier claimed by Tehran, comes as the US reimposed a naval blockade on the Islamic Republic over its attacks on ships trying to travel through the Strait of Hormuz. Jordan's military made the statement on the kingdom's state-run Petra news agency.

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China on Tuesday said it will provide emergency humanitarian assistance to Iran, Lebanon and two other West Asian countries hit hard by the ongoing conflict in the region. Speaking at a media briefing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said that Beijing has decided to provide emergency humanitarian aid to Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq in the hope of easing the humanitarian plight faced by local people. "The ongoing conflict has inflicted excruciating humanitarian disasters on (the) people of Iran and other regional countries. China deeply sympathises with people in relevant countries", Lin said. He was responding to a question about whether China is considering providing humanitarian assistance to the relevant countries, as the UN Refugee Agency recently said the crisis in West Asia has constituted a major humanitarian emergency, and the affected regions already host nearly 25 million refugees, internally displaced persons and returnees. Iran has suffered many innoce

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Jordan confirmed Saturday that its air force took part in strikes launched by the United States on Islamic State group targets in Syria in retaliation for the killing of three US citizens earlier this month. The US launched military strikes Friday on multiple sites in Syria to eliminate Islamic State group fighters and weapons in retaliation for an attack by a Syrian gunman that killed two US troops and an American civilian interpreter almost a week earlier. The Jordanian military said in a statement that its air force participated in precise airstrikes... targeting several ISIS positions in southern Syria, using a different abbreviation for the Islamic State group. Jordan is one of 90 countries making up the global coalition against IS, which Syria recently joined. The US military did not say how many had been killed in Friday's strikes. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, reported that at least five people were killed, including the leader and members

The two sides finalised agreements in the fields of culture, renewable energy, water management, digital public infrastructure and a twinning arrangement between Petra and Ellora

Shortly after this briefing, PM Modi, along with King Abdullah II, will jointly address the India-Jordan Business Forum, which will be attended by leading business dignitaries from both countries

India and Jordan share a common and clear stance against terrorism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday as he met King Abdullah II and discussed bilateral ties and exchanged perspectives on regional and global issues of mutual interest. Modi, who arrived in Jordan on a two-day visit at the invitation of Abdullah II, was warmly welcomed by the king at the Husseiniya Palace, where they held a one-on-one meeting before the delegation-level talks. The two sides agreed to further deepen their partnership, especially in the fields of trade and investment, defence and security, counter-terrorism and de-radicalisation, fertiliser and agriculture, renewable energy, and tourism. Both leaders reaffirmed their united stand against terrorism. "We hope that peace and stability will prevail in the region. We share a common and clear stance against terrorism. Under your leadership, Jordan has sent a strong and strategic message to the world against terrorism, extremism, and radicalisation,