Jordanian army detects "suspicious" aerial movements near Syrian border

Shafaq News / The Jordanian army announced, on Monday, that its air defense radar systems detected suspicious, unidentified aerial movements along the border with Syria.

Witnesses reported that fighter jets, believed to be Jordanian, were heard flying over the Jordanian city of Irbid and areas near the border crossing with Syria. The source of the movements was not mentioned.

The army stated that a squadron of air forces flew to ensure the safety of Jordanian airspace and to verify the absence of any threats.

Aircraft from the Royal Jordanian Air Force moved in response to alerts from radar systems detecting unidentified aerial movements.

Earlier today, a spokesperson for the Israeli army announced that the city of Eilat was subjected to an aerial attack.

A suspicious aerial target crossed the Red Sea into Israeli territory and fell in an open area north of Eilat.

The target was monitored by the Air Force, and no damage or injuries occurred.

Eilat is constantly exposed to attacks often attributed to the Houthis (Ansarallah), who control much of Yemen. They have also imposed a blockade on the port of Eilat, preventing ships from heading to it and targeting them with missiles and drones.

Last January, three US soldiers were killed and about 34 were injured after a drone attack on a US base in Jordan, which Washington said was linked to armed groups allied with Iran.

Jordan requested Patriot air defense systems from the US, fearing being targeted if the war in Gaza attracted Iran and its allied groups to the kingdom's borders.

Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza in October, Iraq and Syria have witnessed mutual attacks between armed groups and US forces stationed in the region.

Officials say that the Jordanian government, which signed a defense agreement with the United States in January 2021, aims to enhance its defenses against groups allied with Iran, which are strengthening their presence on the borders of Jordan with Iraq and Syria.

Ansarallah, a prominent group in the Iran-backed Axis of Resistance, was involved in the conflict days after the Israeli aggression against Gaza. They have launched several missiles at Israel, which were intercepted in the vicinity of the city of Eilat on the Red Sea, adjacent to the Jordanian borders and the city of Aqaba.