Jordan Shoots Down Dozens Of Iranian Drones Targeting Israel
Jordan joined U.S. and British forces in defending Israel from Saturday night’s unprecedented attack by Iranian drones and missiles. The country assisted the successful effort in shooting down drones intended for the Jewish nation.
That became one of the rare occasions in which an Arab country defended Israel from attack by one of its aggressive neighbors.
According to two regional security sources, Jordanian jets destroyed dozens of Iranian drones that entered its airspace on the way to Israeli targets. Its military was placed on high alert to search for further attacks from Iraq or Syria.
Residents across Jordan reported hearing fierce activity in the skies above them. The missiles were downed on the Jordanian side of the Jordan Valley and were traveling toward Jerusalem.
Still others were intercepted near the Iraqi-Syrian border. Jordan’s military actions are noteworthy for the strong criticism originating in Amman against Israel’s retaliation against Hamas terrorists in Gaza.
Media reports showed a group of Jordanian residents gathered around the suspect wreckage of a large Iranian drone. It was in a neighborhood south of Amman near a commercial district of the Marj al Hamam suburb.
Officials in Jordan closed the country’s airspace to all incoming and outgoing air traffic Saturday night. The move was described as precautionary due to the Iranian attack and the possibility of further military action over the nation’s territory.
Jordan government spokesperson Muhannad Mubaideen told reporters, “The relevant authorities took the decision to close the airspace for precautionary reasons as a result of the surrounding security situation.”
The New York Times cited Israeli officials with specifics of the military assessment of the attack. It said Iran launched 185 drones, 36 cruise missiles and 110 surface-to-surface missiles.
The majority of the launches originated in Iran, though there were some from Iraq and Yemen.
Forces from the U.S. and U.K. were credited with intercepting some of the arsenal launched at the state, but most were downed by Israel’s Iron Dome defense system.
One person is known to have died in the attack. A Bedouin Israeli Arab Muslim girl was struck by shrapnel in the desert city of Arad.
