Jordan’s army said that five drug and weapons smugglers linked to Iranian militias operating in southern Syria had been killed after infiltrating from Syria.
The kingdom has promised to respond to what it says is an alarming rise in such incursions, accusing Syria of failing to stem Iranian-run smuggling networks.
Jordanian officials, like their Western allies, say the operations are controlled by Lebanon’s Iranian-backed Hezbollah group and other pro-Iranian militias who control much of southern Syria after supporting President Bashar al-Assad in a civil war that has lasted almost 13 years.
The army had earlier said it was pursuing large numbers of smugglers who had crossed the border before dawn in heavy fog.
Last month, Jordan reported clashes with dozens of infiltrators using drones and equipped with rocket launchers.
Also, in the first week of 2024, according to intelligence sources cited by Reuters, Jordan launched air strikes inside Syria.
The targets were suspected warehouses and hideouts of Iranian-backed drug smugglers, Jordanian and regional intelligence sources said.
The army has stepped up a campaign against drug dealers after protracted clashes last month with dozens of infiltrators from Syria linked to pro-Iranian militias, carrying large hauls who crossed its border with weapons and explosives.
The sources told Reuters jets bombed the suspected home of a leading drug dealer in the town of Shaab in Sweida province while the other strike hit warehouses near the village of Al-Ghariya.
Both locations are in a province near the Jordanian border
