Eager Lion Drill Kicks Off in Jordan with Participation of 27 Countries

Joint US-Jordanian press conference at the launch of the 2022 Eager Lion drill on Sunday (JAF)
Joint US-Jordanian press conference at the launch of the 2022 Eager Lion drill on Sunday (JAF)
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Eager Lion Drill Kicks Off in Jordan with Participation of 27 Countries

Joint US-Jordanian press conference at the launch of the 2022 Eager Lion drill on Sunday (JAF)
Joint US-Jordanian press conference at the launch of the 2022 Eager Lion drill on Sunday (JAF)

The 2022 Eager Lion drill kicked off on Sunday in Jordan with the coordination of United States and the participation of 27 Arab and other countries, and 4,800 soldiers, said the Jordanian Military Information Directorate.

The drill came after a year-long pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is carried out by the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF).

JAF Spokesperson Col. Mustafa Hiari said on Sunday that the drill will continue until September 15, and its exercises will seek to enhance the level of cooperation and preparedness among participating troops in the field of counterterrorism, border security, drones and new threats pertaining to various types of weapons of mass destruction.

During a press conference to announce the launch of the event, Hiari said that the drill started with the participation of 4,800 military personnel and 1,000 civilians, noting that the training aims to raise preparedness and gain field expertise for forces of the participating countries.

Hiari then responded to press inquiries regarding any links between the drills and attempts to form new military alliances to confront terrorism.

The colonel stressed that the drills are not linked to any crisis, saying Jordan is a “stable oasis in a turbulent neighborhood.”

The Jordanian borders are “under control and stable”, he said.

Spokesperson for the US Armed Forces Col. Joshua Smith expressed Washington’s honor to continue participating in the long-term partnership in the Jordan-hosted Eager Lion drill.

He said the drill is among several US-centered exercises, which use traditional and nontraditional technologies to activate joint action to confront simulated threats, noting that the drill was designed to exchange military expertise among participating countries and to enhance Jordan’s role in maintaining regional security and stability.

Smith said there are approximately 1,700 US soldiers, 2,200 members of the Jordanian military and 400 members from other countries, participating in these exercises.

Also participating in the drills are Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Kazakhstan, Austria, Sweden, Cyprus, Kenya, Greece, Poland, Belgium, Pakistan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Morocco, in addition to Jordan.

The Eager Lion exercise started in Jordan in 2011 and includes ground, naval and air military trainings.



Lebanon Detains Several People on Suspicion of Firing Rockets at Israel

A view shows a damaged site in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, as Israeli troops withdrew from most of south Lebanon, in Lebanon, February 19, 2025. (Reuters)
A view shows a damaged site in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, as Israeli troops withdrew from most of south Lebanon, in Lebanon, February 19, 2025. (Reuters)
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Lebanon Detains Several People on Suspicion of Firing Rockets at Israel

A view shows a damaged site in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, as Israeli troops withdrew from most of south Lebanon, in Lebanon, February 19, 2025. (Reuters)
A view shows a damaged site in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, as Israeli troops withdrew from most of south Lebanon, in Lebanon, February 19, 2025. (Reuters)

The Lebanese military said it has detained a group of people linked to firing rockets into Israel last month.

In a statement issued late Wednesday night, the army said it had detained several people, including a number of Palestinians, who were involved in firing rockets in two separate attacks toward Israel in late March that triggered intense Israeli airstrikes on parts of Lebanon. Lebanon’s Hezbollah group denied at the time it was behind the firing of rockets, The Associated Press reported.

The army said that a vehicle and other equipment used in the rockets attacks were confiscated and the detainees were referred to judicial authorities. The army said it had carried out raids in different parts of Lebanon to detain the suspects without giving further details.

On Thursday, the state-run National News Agency reported that Gen. Rodolph Haikal briefed a weekly cabinet meeting about the security situation along the border and the ongoing implementation of the UN Security Council resolution that ended the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war.

Three security and one judicial official told The Associated Press that four Palestinians linked to the Hamas group are being questioned.

A Hamas official told the AP that several members of the group were detained in Lebanon recently and released shortly afterward adding that they were not involved in firing rockets into Israel. He said in one case authorities detained a Hamas member who was carrying an unlicensed pistol.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Hezbollah started launching attacks on Israel a day after the Israel-Hamas war erupted on Oct. 7, 2023 with the Palestinian militants’ attack on southern Israel. The war that left more than 4,000 people dead in Lebanon and caused wide destruction ended in late November with a US-brokered ceasefire.

Since the ceasefire went into effect in late November, Israel has carried out almost daily airstrikes that left dozens of civilians and Hezbollah members dead.

On Tuesday, the office of the UN high commissioner for human rights said that at least 71 civilians, including 14 women and nine children, have been killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon since a ceasefire took effect.