Jordan Asks US to Deploy Patriot Air Defense Systems

Jordan asked the US to deploy Patriot air defense systems to bolster its border defense during heightened regional tensions. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Jordan asked the US to deploy Patriot air defense systems to bolster its border defense during heightened regional tensions. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Jordan Asks US to Deploy Patriot Air Defense Systems

Jordan asked the US to deploy Patriot air defense systems to bolster its border defense during heightened regional tensions. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Jordan asked the US to deploy Patriot air defense systems to bolster its border defense during heightened regional tensions. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Jordan asked the US to deploy Patriot air defense systems to bolster its border defense during heightened regional tensions and conflict, the spokesperson for the country's army said.

Jordan's army spokesperson Brigadier General Mustafa Hiyari told state television that the kingdom asked the US to help boost the defense system and provide more aid to tackle drones.

"The drones have become a threat on all our fronts," Hiyari said.

Earlier, a Jordanian military source denied reports that the US was using its Jordan bases to supply Tel Aviv with ammunition and transport some of the equipment from its depots to bolster Israel's defenses in its war in Gaza, as reported by the Arab News Agency.

The Jordanian News Agency quoted a source at the General Command of the Armed Forces dismissing allegations circulating on social media that the Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF) bases have been used by US aircraft to supply the Israeli army with equipment and ammunition.

The source asserted that spreading and circulating such "rumors" aim to undermine Jordan's position on the Palestinian cause and damage the reputation of the armed forces.

The source pointed out that the Armed Forces Field Hospital is still receiving casualties from Gaza despite all the challenges and difficulties.

He asserted that the Royal Jordanian Air Force remains committed to delivering humanitarian and relief aid to the Palestinians in Gaza.



Israel Starts Ground Operations in Southwest Lebanon

Israeli soldiers move shells, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, in northern Israel, October 7, 2024. REUTERS/Gil Eliyahu
Israeli soldiers move shells, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, in northern Israel, October 7, 2024. REUTERS/Gil Eliyahu
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Israel Starts Ground Operations in Southwest Lebanon

Israeli soldiers move shells, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, in northern Israel, October 7, 2024. REUTERS/Gil Eliyahu
Israeli soldiers move shells, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, in northern Israel, October 7, 2024. REUTERS/Gil Eliyahu

Israel's military said on Tuesday it had begun ground operations in southwest Lebanon, expanding its incursions to a new zone.

The military piled more pressure on Iran-backed Hezbollah, saying it was conducting "limited, localized, targeted operations" in Lebanon's southwest after announcing such operations for the southeast border area.

The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon and the head of the UN's peacekeeping mission in the country said on Tuesday that their repeated appeals for restraint had "gone unheeded" in the year since the exchanges of fire began between Hezbollah and Israel.

"Today, one year later, the near-daily exchanges of fire have escalated into a relentless military campaign whose humanitarian impact is nothing short of catastrophic," they said in a joint statement.

The Israeli military has described its ground operation in Lebanon as localized and limited, but it has steadily increased in scale beginning last week.

The army says its aim is to clear border areas where Hezbollah fighters have been embedded, with no plans to go deep into Lebanon.