DOMINANT ANGLE
Singapore relays the Karak attack through news agency dispatches: a quantified toll, the hunt for the assailants and King Abdallah II's promise of retaliation, set against the backdrop of Iranian attacks targeting Jordan.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
General Abdallah al-Maaytah put the toll at seven dead and 34 injured, with 27 still being treated (CNA).
- 02
Three attackers, two of them armed with pistols and one with a long gun, appear in Al-Mamlaka footage; a manhunt is underway.
- 03
No claim of responsibility; Reuters notes that Jordan is increasingly being targeted by Iranian attacks since the US-Israeli strikes in February.
ANALYSIS
Singapour, 24 October 2026. The Singaporean press, relying on dispatches from Reuters and AFP and on Channel News Asia, reports on an armed attack that occurred on Friday, 23 October, in a Greek Orthodox church in the village of Hammoud, Karak Governorate, in southern Jordan. Armed men got out of a vehicle and opened fire during a funeral procession, according to the Public Security Directorate, which has announced a manhunt.
The toll is evolving with the dispatches. The first reports mention at least seven dead and ten injured, "some seriously". Channel News Asia reports that after an initial figure of six dead, the Director of Public Security, General Abdallah al-Maaytah, announced seven dead and 34 injured, including 27 still being treated.
Testimonies play a significant role. A witness cited by public television Al-Mamlaka claims that the attackers fired uninterrupted for five minutes before fleeing, that 150 to 200 people were in and around the church, and that most of the victims were between 50 and 70 years old. Khaled Burqan, who was present at the funeral, describes two men, one with a rifle and the other with a pistol. Al-Mamlaka's images show two men in civilian clothes armed with pistols and a third with a long weapon.
Officially, King Abdallah II has promised on X a response "as tough as possible" and to strike "with an iron fist" those who threaten the nation. He visited Karak on Friday evening, in military uniform, to see the injured; one of them told him: "This country is ours and we will never abandon it". The Interior Minister, Mazen al-Faraya, speaks of "a group of extremists" and assures that the security services are working day and night to track them down. The Communications Minister, Mohammed al-Momani, indicates that the investigation is underway.
Reuters, as reported by the Straits Times, emphasizes that no claim of responsibility has been made and that the authorities have not designated a perpetrator. The agency places the attack in a regional context: such violence is "extremely rare" in Jordan, a relatively stable country but increasingly targeted by Iranian attacks this year, since the American and Israeli strikes against Iran in February. It recalls that Christians form a minority, in a country that hosts biblical sites attracting pilgrims.
