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A relative of a family hit by a Jordanian airstrike in Syria's Dera province is demanding that those responsible be held accountable. Seven people, including three orphaned children, were killed and three were wounded in the attack on the Musaymiya area.

Muhammed Selim said the victims were civilians who lived in a makeshift shelter stitched together from blankets and supported themselves through stone cutting and goat herding, and called for a transparent investigation.

Strike hit a family shelter

The Selim family was living in a tent-like shelter sewn from blankets, built with their own means and set up on top of rubble, when it was struck in Musaymiya, a locality in Dera province. Mohammed Selim, who lost relatives in the attack, said there were no armed or illegal elements in the area.

Seven people were killed and three were wounded. Among the dead were three orphaned children: Lamees, 8, Usame, 10, and Yasin, 12.

Victims described as civilians

Selim said the family members who died were entirely civilian and had made a living under difficult conditions by breaking stones and keeping a few goats. "They targeted us with an airstrike. These people had nothing to do with theft, drug trafficking or terrorist organizations. They were ordinary people who earned their living by breaking stones and looking after a few goats," Selim said.

"Our three orphaned children, Lamees, Usame and Yasin, were beautiful children. They took them all from us," Selim added.

Call for a transparent investigation

Selim said no state body or law enforcement agency had ever issued an arrest or search warrant for any family member, and argued that the family was killed after the wrong target coordinates were supplied.

"They marked as targets people who had never seen Jordan in their lives and never crossed a border. We only want a transparent investigation," Selim said, asking who gave the coordinates to the aircraft and reported the innocent family as terrorists or drug dealers. "We want the rights of these children and our innocent family not to be left on the ground."

Border crossing closed

The Syrian government said no coordination with Jordan took place before the airstrike that killed seven civilians.

Syria's General Directorate of Border Crossings and Customs announced that the Nasib crossing on the Jordanian border was closed temporarily because of events in Dera province.

Key takeaways

• A Jordanian airstrike in Musaymiya, Dera province, killed seven people and wounded three, including three orphaned children aged 8, 10 and 12.
• Muhammed Selim said the victims were civilians who lived in a blanket-made shelter and worked in stone cutting and herding.
• Selim rejected any link to drugs or terrorism and demanded a transparent investigation into who supplied the target coordinates.
• Syria said it had not coordinated with Jordan before the strike and temporarily closed the Nasib border crossing.