Jordan strikes drug, weapons sites in Suwayda – Syria state TV
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Syrian state TV on Saturday reported that Jordanian Armed Forces carried out airstrikes targeting weapons and drug storage sites in the southern Druze-majority governorate of Suwayda, where large areas remain outside the control of Damascus.
State TV, citing local sources, said the Jordanian army “likely targeted a headquarters containing weapons and drugs controlled by rebel groups” in the village of Shahba in the northern countryside of Suwayda.
In a separate statement, the Jordanian Armed Forces said it had conducted “a Jordanian deterrent operation targeting several locations used by arms and drug traffickers along the Kingdom’s northern border.”
The military added it would “continue to deal proactively, decisively, and deterrently with any threat to the security and sovereignty of the Kingdom,” pledging to dedicate its capabilities to confronting such threats “with full force and determination.”
Local sources told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that a series of airstrikes targeted at least five locations, including warehouses in the town of Arman in Suwayda countryside.
Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that one of the strikes hit near a local security forces branch.
During Syria’s protracted conflict prior to the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, the captagon trade became one of the country’s largest sources of revenue, widely believed to have financed networks linked to the former government.
The synthetic drug spread across the region over recent years, prompting neighboring countries to intensify seizures and repeatedly call on Lebanon and Syria to curb trafficking networks.
Jordan has previously carried out cross-border strikes in southern Syria targeting drug-smuggling networks operating along its frontier.
Since the new government assumed power in Damascus following Assad’s ouster, both Damascus and Amman have pledged to strengthen coordination to combat drug smuggling along their shared border.
Parts of Suwayda, including the city and surrounding countryside, remain under the control of Druze armed groups and outside the authority of Damascus. According to AFP’s correspondent, the areas targeted in Saturday’s strikes fall within those zones.