The Jordanian army said it seized weapons and drugs Monday following clashes with armed drug dealers along the Syrian border. According to officials, the drug dealers were linked to pro-Islamic Republic of Iran terrorist groups who sought to cripple the country's security.
Jordanian state broadcast network al Mamlaka said the army blew up a vehicle laden with explosives. Officials said the smugglers escaped across the border after injuring several army personnel, making it one of the most daring operations since the start of the month.
Officials said they seized automatic rifles and rocket launchers. Jordanian officials said they would "continue to track these armed groups and prevent any attempt to undermine the kingdom's national security."
"The last few days have seen a spike in these operations that are changing from infiltration attempts and smuggling to armed clashes with the goal of crossing the border by force and targeting border guards," the Jordanian army said.
Following the Oct. 7 massacre by Hamas against Israel, the Islamic Republic of Iran has sought to provide Hamas and its terrorist proxies in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iraq weapons to attack American and Israeli forces in the Middle East.
In response to Iran's attempts to smuggle weapons to its proxies, Jordan's Foreign Minister told Tehran that it should do more to rein in its militias that are active along the Syrian Jordanian border.
Officials say the Jordanian army was considering whether to engage in preemptive strikes inside Syria against groups linked to the drug trade and their facilities in a bid to stop their operations.
Iran regime-backed groups like Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon have been behind drug and weapons smuggling in recent years, providing Palestinian terrorists with arms to attack Israeli soldiers and citizens.
According to reports, the trafficking routes organized by Hezbollah and other terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq have helped supply weapons to terrorist fighters in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Despite verbal condemnation from the United States, Iran and its terrorist proxies continue to engage in such activities without any fear of reprisals.
Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the Ayatollahs in Tehran have tried to export their revolution in the Levant, hoping to overthrow Arab monarchies like Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and Oman to create proxy-Iranian states.
With support from the U.S., the Hashemite Kingdom has helped engage in counterterrorism operations against Iranian proxies, ISIS, and Al Qaeda.
