A statement from the Jordanian Cabinet indicated that some aerial objects that entered Jordanian airspace on April 13 „were dealt with to prevent endangering the safety of our citizens and residential areas.“ The statement emphasized that “fragments fell in several places without causing any significant damage or injuries among citizens.” The Jordanian government urged all parties to exercise restraint and deal with discipline and responsibility amidst the tensions in the region, avoiding any escalation that would undoubtedly have serious consequences. During its session, the Jordanian Cabinet stressed the need to work on de-escalation, with all parties acting responsibly and exercising maximum restraint, dealing seriously and responsibly with the risks of regional escalation and its significant and dangerous repercussions on international security and peace.
This statement came after media reports confirmed Jordan’s participation in intercepting the Iranian attack on Israel. This occurred after Jordan intercepted Iranian drones and missiles before they entered Israeli airspace. This was preceded by the Kingdom’s announcement of the closure of its airspace and the suspension of air traffic for several hours shortly before the Iranian attack on Israel. Citizens also shared videos of debris and parts of Iranian rockets and drones falling on the Jordanian capital, Amman, after being intercepted in its airspace. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Jordan, Ayman Safadi, affirmed that ending the Israeli aggression on Gaza and beginning to implement a comprehensive plan to end the Israeli occupation and achieve a just peace based on the two-state solution is the way to halt the dangerous escalation in the region. He emphasized that halting the escalation is a regional and international necessity that requires the UN Security Council to fulfill its responsibilities in protecting security and peace, imposing a ceasefire on Gaza, and respecting international law. Safadi warned that the continuation of the aggression would push the region towards further regional escalation, threatening its regional and international security and stability, stressing the need for international efforts to reduce escalation and protect the entire region from its consequences.
The Iranian Mehr News Agency reported that a well-informed source in the Iranian Armed Forces warned Jordan against a cooperation with Israel. According to the source, Iran would monitor Jordanian movements, and if they cooperate with Israel, „Jordan will be our next target.“ The source emphasized, on behalf of the Iranian Armed Forces: “We warned Jordan and other countries in the region before the start of the attack against cooperating with the occupying entity.” Following this, the Jordanian Foreign Minister, Ayman Safadi, summoned the Iranian ambassador and delivered a message urging an end to insults and doubts about Jordan’s positions. Safadi stated, „anything that poses a threat to Jordan and the security of Jordanians, we will confront with all our capabilities and capacities,” adding, „we had warned that the continuation of the war on Gaza would lead to an expansion of the conflict and further tension in the region.” Meanwhile, King Abdullah II of Jordan received a phone call from US President Joe Biden, discussing the latest developments in the region and efforts to reduce escalation and reach a ceasefire in Gaza. The Jordanian monarch warned that any Israeli escalation measures would lead to an expansion of the conflict in the region, emphasizing the immediate need to stop the escalation in the Middle East.
This Iranian attack was not the only threat to Jordan recently. The kingdom has been facing this threat since the events of October 7 and the subsequent tensions in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, along with the Israeli threat of displacing Palestinians. Additionally, protests in Jordan, especially in front of the Israeli embassy in Amman, have been characterized by clashes with security forces, with developments in both protest and official discourses. Reports of clashes and arrests have surfaced in the context of authorities announcing a ban on protests near the borders and attempts to reach or storm the Israeli embassy. However, there seemed to be a desire to avoid confrontation between protest organizers and security forces.
Various political, youth, and Islamic forces (including the Muslim Brotherhood and nationalist and leftist parties) have been leading the movement since its inception on October 7, represented by several key entities, most notably the “National Forum for Supporting the Resistance” and the “Youth Assembly for Supporting the Resistance.” In recent days, there has been mobilization of the movement under the slogan “The Holy March” towards the Israeli embassy. The “Youth Assembly for Supporting the Resistance” said in a statement that one of its main goals of “besieging” the Israeli embassy, along with calling for the cancellation of the peace agreement with Israel, is “to mobilize Arab squares in the West Bank, the occupied interior, Egypt, and other Arab capitals to be one nation behind Gaza.” Hamas has stated to BBC regarding accusations of coordinating with Iran to stoke unrest in Jordan „the movement’s relations extend throughout the region, and attempting to link any action Hamas takes with an event (such as Ismail Haniyeh’s visit to Iran) is a suspicious and rejected attempt. (…) Hamas is not interested in stirring up any disturbances in any Arab or Islamic country.” Hamas emphasized that its official contacts with Jordan have not been severed, and it sees alignment between Jordan’s positions (officially and popularly) and its aspirations regarding the war in terms of “rejecting displacement and insisting on the Palestinians’ right to establish their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.” Hamas hopes for more support from Jordan on three levels: relief support, political pressure to end the war, and reconstruction afterwards.
Meanwhile, the Jordanian government’s spokesperson, Mahend Mbaydeen, in an interview with BBC stated that Amman supports all Palestinians represented by the Palestinian Authority. He added, “Hamas advises general mobilization… These calls are understood in the context of non-statehood, and Jordan is not like that, as it has its state, army, constitutional institutions, and constitutional references that govern them. (…) They must remember that.” The minister affirmed that “Jordanians, their Hashemite leadership, their land, their society, and their culture have been in solidarity with the Palestinian people since the establishment of the Jordanian state… Jordan has always watered the land of Palestine with the blood of its martyrs.(…) Today, Jordan is a pioneer in supporting Palestinians both in relief efforts and diplomatically in all international forums (…) because what unites Jordan and Palestine is a shared fate, geography, lung, and bread.” Minister Mbaydeen emphasized in his interview with BBC that “protests are guaranteed according to the constitution (…) but as in any country, they must be restricted according to conditions that do not violate the law, sovereignty of the state, provoke security forces, insult them, or create areas of friction.” The government condemned “loyalty and innocence slogans for some leaders,” describing the Israeli embassy as “the headquarters of a diplomatic mission expelled from Jordan (…) and calls to besiege it undermine the sovereignty of the existing authority as if there were no institutions or security agencies.” The minister considered that the escalation might be intended by parties finding themselves losing today, expecting that pressure on Jordan would increase if Israel entered “a war in Rafah.”
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