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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)
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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.

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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)

Italy plans to send an ambassador back to Syria after a decade-long absence, the country’s foreign minister said, in a diplomatic move that could spark divisions among European Union allies.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, speaking in front of relevant parliamentary committees Thursday, announced Rome’s intention to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria to prevent Russia from monopolizing diplomatic efforts in the Middle Eastern country.

Moscow is considered a key supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has remained in power despite widespread Western isolation and civilian casualties since the start of Syria’s civil war in March 2011.

Peaceful protests against the Assad government — part of the so-called “Arab Spring” popular uprisings that spread across some of the Middle East — were met by a brutal crackdown, and the uprising quickly spiraled into a full-blown civil war.

The conflict was further complicated by the intervention of foreign forces on all sides and a rising militancy, first by al-Qaida-linked groups and then the ISIS group until its defeat on the battlefield in 2019.

The war, which has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million, is now largely frozen, despite ongoing low-level fighting.

The country is effectively carved up into areas controlled by the Damascus-based government of Assad, various opposition groups and Syrian Kurdish forces.

In the early days of the conflict, many Western and Arab countries cut off relations with Syria, including Italy, which has since managed Syria-related diplomacy through its embassy in Beirut.

However, since Assad has regained control over most of the territory, neighboring Arab countries have gradually restored relations, with the most symbolically significant move coming last year when Syria was re-admitted to the Arab League.

Tajani said Thursday the EU’s policy in Syria should be adapted to the “development of the situation,” adding that Italy has received support from Austria, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Cyprus and Slovakia.

However, the US and allied countries in Europe have largely continued to hold firm in their stance against Assad’s government, due to concerns over human rights violations.