Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles, and Jordan, a country in the Arab world, joined Israel's allies in stopping them. This unexpected move happened after Iran directly attacked Israel. Jordan's response, criticized by some who support Palestine, is a careful balancing act because Jordan is not strong militarily and cannot risk a war with its neighbor. Jordan explained that it shot down the Iranian drones to defend itself, not to support Israel.
Jordan was part of the Arab League countries that fought against Israel in 1948 after the UN recommended dividing the land into Arab and Jewish states. After the war, Jordan controlled the West Bank and East Jerusalem and formally added them to its territory in 1950. But in 1967, Jordan and Israel fought again, and Israel took control of the West Bank and Jerusalem. In 1994, Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel, becoming the second Arab country to do so after Egypt's peace treaty in 1979. Since then, Israel and Jordan have had open borders. The border between Israel and Jordan, which is 309 kilometers long, is the quietest border Israel has, with only three battalions of the Israeli military stationed there.
Even before Iran's drone attacks, King Abdullah of Jordan had made it clear that he wouldn't allow Iran to cause trouble in his country as it does in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. He expressed concern about Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps directing militias in Iraq against Jordan. Jordan has seen the instability caused by Iran's actions in Iraq and Syria and wants to maintain stability within its borders.
When Iran launched its drones and missiles, King Abdullah and his military acted swiftly to respond. Jordan's planes took off to intercept drones targeting Israel, and most of them were shot down before reaching Israel's borders.
In an interview with CNN, Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said their focus now is to calm the situation. They want to stop the violence in Gaza and the illegal actions in the West Bank and work towards lasting peace.
