Jordan foils arms plot as kingdom caught in Iran-Israel shadow war
Jordan recently thwarted an alleged Iranian plot to smuggle weapons into the country, aiming to destabilize the monarchy. The weapons, sent by Iranian-backed militias in Syria, were intended for a Muslim Brotherhood cell in Jordan linked to Hamas. The cache was seized, and the cell members, Jordanians of Palestinian descent, were arrested in late March.
This incident comes amid heightened Middle East tensions, with Israel, backed by the U.S., at war with Hamas, a part of Iran’s “Axis of Resistance”. Hamas denies any involvement in acts targeting Jordan, stating its sole target is Israel. The exact nature of the planned sabotage remains undisclosed due to ongoing investigations.
Jordan, a potential regional flashpoint in the Gaza crisis, hosts a U.S. military base and shares borders with Israel, Syria, and Iraq, all home to Iranian-backed militias. The seized weapons, including Claymore mines, C4 and Semtex explosives, Kalashnikov rifles, and 107mm Katyusha rockets, were part of numerous thwarted smuggling attempts by Iran and its allies.
While most smuggled arms are destined for the Israeli-occupied West Bank, some, including those seized in March, were intended for use in Jordan by the Brotherhood cell allied to Hamas. The smugglers hide these weapons in pits, known as dead spots, and use GPS to mark their location for retrieval.
The Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational Islamist movement from which Hamas originated, has operated legally in Jordan for decades and does not advocate violence. Jordanian authorities suspect Iran and its allies, including Hamas and Hezbollah, are recruiting radical young members of Jordan’s Brotherhood to expand Tehran’s regional network of aligned forces.
Senior Brotherhood representatives confirmed some members were arrested in possession of weapons in March, but they suspect the arms were intended for the West Bank, not Jordan. They maintain a dialogue with the authorities, emphasizing that any mistakes are individual actions, not group policy.
The arrested cell members were reportedly recruited by Hamas chief Saleh al-Arouri, who coordinated the group’s West Bank operations from Lebanon before his death in a drone strike in January. Jordan has reported numerous foiled infiltration attempts by pro-Iranian militias in Syria over the past year, though Iran denies involvement.
King Abdullah of Jordan, home to many Palestinians, is in a difficult position, balancing support for the Palestinian cause with a longstanding U.S. alliance and recognition of Israel. Public anger has surged, with protests calling for severed ties with Israel. Critics have accused the king of siding with the U.S. after Jordan aided Israel in downing Iranian drones and missiles.
Tensions with the Brotherhood could pose risks for Abdullah, as the group enjoys wide popular support. Jordanian authorities have not publicly discussed the alleged weapons plot and arrests. The decision to join Western powers in downing Iranian drones was partly driven by fears of being drawn into Iran’s strategic struggle against Israel.
Iran reportedly aims to recruit Jordanians and infiltrate the Jordanian arena. A significant motivating factor for Jordan was an unprecedented attack on a U.S. military base in Jordan in January by Iran-aligned Iraqi groups, which left three U.S. soldiers dead and 40 injured. The attack was reportedly in support of Hamas.
Iran’s ambition to establish a proxy foothold in Jordan dates back to Qassem Soleimani, the assassinated commander of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards. Soleimani believed that building an allied group in Jordan, given its strong ties with the U.S. and the West, was crucial to Tehran’s regional ascendancy.
King Abdullah defended his decision to shoot down the drones as self-defence, not for Israel’s benefit, and declared that “Jordan will not be a battlefield for any party”.
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