Jordan: Army Foils Drug Smuggling Attempt from Syria

Jordanian security forces vehicle (AFP)
Jordanian security forces vehicle (AFP)
TT
20

Jordan: Army Foils Drug Smuggling Attempt from Syria

Jordanian security forces vehicle (AFP)
Jordanian security forces vehicle (AFP)

Jordan on Tuesday thwarted an attempt to infiltrate and smuggle large quantities of narcotics from Syrian territory.

An official military source at Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF) said that Border Guard patrols, in coordination with security agencies, spotted a group of smugglers trying to illegally cross into Jordan from the Syrian border.

The source said quick response patrols rushed to the site, opening fire at the smugglers. One of them was injured forcing the others to retreat.

After an intensive search of the area, 11 million Captagon pills and 4,049 palm-sized sheets of hashish were seized, in addition to a large amount of ammunition, all of which were handed over to the relevant authorities.

The source stressed that the JAF will continue to deal with any threat to Jordan's borders "firmly", and will foil any attempts intended to undermine and destabilize the Kingdom's security and terrorize its citizens.

Smuggling on the Jordanian-Syrian border is more active during the winter months as smugglers take advantage of the fog and rainy weather to cover their illegal activities despite the presence of fixed and mobile patrols along the 270-km border with Syria.



Israeli Troops Deploy to New Corridor Across Southern Gaza

Smoke rises to the sky following Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Smoke rises to the sky following Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
TT
20

Israeli Troops Deploy to New Corridor Across Southern Gaza

Smoke rises to the sky following Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Smoke rises to the sky following Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Israel said Saturday that troops have deployed to a newly established security corridor across southern Gaza to pressure the Hamas militant group.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday announced the new Morag Corridor and suggested it would cut off the southern city of Rafah, which Israel has ordered evacuated, from the rest of Gaza.
A military statement Saturday said troops with the 36th Division had been deployed in the corridor. It was not immediately clear how many had deployed or where exactly the corridor was located, The Associated Press reported. Morag is the name of a Jewish settlement that once stood between Rafah and Khan Younis, and Netanyahu suggested it would run between the cities.
Maps published by Israeli media showed the new corridor running the width of the narrow coastal strip from east to west.
Netanyahu said it would be “a second Philadelphi corridor,” referring to the Gaza side of the border with Egypt further south, which has been under Israeli control since last May.
Israel has also reasserted control over the Netzarim corridor that cuts off the northern third of Gaza, including Gaza City, from the rest of the strip. The Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors run from the Israeli border to the Mediterranean Sea.
“We are cutting up the strip, and we are increasing the pressure step by step, so that they will give us our hostages,” Netanyahu said Wednesday.
The latest announcement came shortly after a White House official confirmed that Netanyahu on Monday would again meet with President Donald Trump, their second meeting at the White House since Trump took office in January.
Last month, Israel shattered the ceasefire in Gaza with a surprise bombardment after trying to pressure Hamas to accept proposed new terms for the truce that had taken hold in January. The White House supported Israel's move.
Netanyahu’s defense minister said Israel would seize large areas of Gaza and add them to its so-called security zones.
Israel has pledged to escalate the war with Hamas until the militant group returns the remaining hostages taken in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack that sparked the war, disarms and leaves the territory.
Israel last month again halted all supplies of food, fuel and humanitarian aid to Gaza.