Jordan Launches Cross-Border Strikes on Suspected Drug and Arms Sites in Southern Syria
Damascus— Jordan carried out airstrikes on suspected drug and weapons storage sites in southern Syria’s Sweida province, Syrian state television and Jordan’s military said on Saturday, marking another cross-border operation as Amman intensifies efforts to curb trafficking networks along its northern frontier.
Syrian state TV, citing local sources, said the Jordanian army had likely targeted a headquarters in the village of Shahba that contained weapons and narcotics controlled by rebel groups in the Druze-majority province of Sweida, where large areas remain outside the full control of Damascus.
The report said the strike focused on facilities allegedly used for storing drugs and arms, reflecting ongoing concerns over smuggling routes operating through southern Syria toward Jordan and the wider Gulf region.
In a separate statement, the Jordanian army confirmed it had carried out what it described as a “deterrent operation” against multiple locations used by arms and drug traffickers along the kingdom’s northern border.It did not specify the exact sites targeted or provide casualty figures.
Local sources told an AFP correspondent that a series of airstrikes struck at least five locations, including warehouses in the town of Arman, another area in southern Syria believed to be linked to trafficking activity.
Jordan has repeatedly accused armed groups and smuggling networks operating in southern Syria of using the border region to move large quantities of narcotics, particularly captagon, as well as weapons into Jordanian territory.
Amman has increasingly adopted a more aggressive military posture in recent years, including cross-border raids and airstrikes, arguing that the scale of trafficking has become a national security threat.Sweida province, with its complex tribal dynamics and limited central state authority, has remained a sensitive zone for both Syrian authorities and neighboring Jordan, particularly as security vacuums have enabled illicit trade networks to expand.
The latest strikes come amid wider regional efforts to stabilize southern Syria while containing the spread of organized smuggling operations linked to armed factions and local militias.
