Jordan army: drug and weapons smugglers were killed

ShafaqNews/ Jordan's army reported on Saturday that a group of drug and weapons smugglers were killed in clashes that erupted at dawn as they attempted to infiltrate from Syria across the northern border of Jordan.

The army had previously stated that it was in pursuit of a significant number of smugglers carrying caches of drugs and weapons who had crossed the border during heavy fog.

On Thursday, Jordan initiated airstrikes in Syria targeting suspected warehouses and hideouts of Iranian-backed drug smugglers, Jordanian and regional intelligence sources told Reuters.

Minister of Government Communications Muhannad Mubaidin emphasized that the ongoing threat to national security requires a sustained effort, stating, "This continued threat to our national security won't end with a raid or confrontation... It's a long war."

Jordanian officials, aligned with their Western counterparts, allege that Lebanon's Iranian-backed Hezbollah group and other pro-Iranian militias controlling southern Syria are responsible for the surge in drug and weapons smuggling.

Iran and Hezbollah dismiss these claims as part of a Western conspiracy, while Syria denies complicity with Iranian-backed militias linked to its army and security forces.