Jordan faces drug war led by Iranian-backed militias in Syria
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Jordanian military media announced on Monday that units of Syrian government forces and Iranian-backed militias have intensified their attempts to smuggle drugs across the northeastern border of Jordan.
“We are facing a war along the borders, a drugs war and led by organisations supported by foreign parties,” senior army spokesperson Colonel Mustafa Hiari told the Jordan-based al-Mamlaka public television.
He said that for three years the Jordan has a sharp increase in the number of infiltration attempts and mainly drug smuggling.
The Jordanian official noted that four parties are targeting Jordan, saying, “The smuggling operations are getting support from elements within the Syrian army and its security agencies and also Hizbollah militias and Iranian militias present in southern Syria.”
“These Iranian militias are the most dangerous because they target Jordan’s national security,” Hiari stressed.
On May 22, Jordan announced the killing of four smugglers in a drug smuggling attempt from Syria to Jordan.
The growing influence of Iranian-backed militias, including the Lebanese Hezbollah, in southern Syria in recent years has alarmed Jordan and Israel, according to press reports.
The Jordanian army announced that since the beginning of this year, they have thwarted many infiltration and smuggling attempts on the Syrian-Jordanian border.