Jordan shuts down airport to 'facilitate' US arms shipments to Israel: Report
Amman helped shoot down Iranian drones launched in response to the unprovoked Israeli attack against the Islamic Republic
Sources informed The Cradle on 13 June that Jordanian authorities abruptly shut down one of the country's main airports and restricted civilian traffic to use the facility for logistical support of Israel's recent attacks on Iran.
According to the sources, military cargo planes have been arriving from the US and Europe through Jordanian airspace, believed to be carrying weapons and equipment bound for Israel.
Jordanian authorities have given no official explanation for the airport's closure.
The move—described as "precautionary"—comes amid speculation that members of the Iran-backed Axis of Resistance in Jordanian territory could target such weapons shipments.
Independent security sources have tracked suspicious activity by unregistered aircraft over eastern Jordan in recent hours, coinciding with Israeli strikes on key facilities in Tehran, Isfahan, and Natanz, raising questions about the extent of Jordan's intelligence and security coordination with Tel Aviv.
Meanwhile, Jordan's air force intercepted Iranian missiles and drones entering its airspace Friday, the Kingdom's state news agency, Petra, reported.
The air force claimed it intercepted the missiles and drones because they were likely to fall within Jordanian territory, posing a threat to civilians.
Israel has been intercepting some of the 100 drones launched by Iran outside Israeli airspace, the Israeli military said.
When Iran attacked Israel in April 2024 as part of Operation True Promise, the Jordanian air force also shot down Iranian ballistic drones and missiles.
"Jordan's participation in the defense of Israel demonstrates that while Amman needs to navigate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict sensitively, it is both broadly and closely aligned with US and Israeli regional security interests," stated Jonathan Lord of the Center for a New American Security, following the 2024 Iranian attack.
Jordan's support for Israel is politically sensitive, given the Kingdom's large Palestinian population. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees found refuge in the Kingdom after being ethnically cleansed by Zionist militias during the Nakba, or "catastrophe" in 1948, and after Israel conquered and occupied the West Bank in the Six Day War in 1967, known by Palestinians as the Naksa, or "setback."
Anger among Palestinians is high as a result of Israel's genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. Israeli forces have killed over 100,000 Palestinians and destroyed massive swathes of the besieged enclave. Israeli leaders say they are seeking to starve and ethnically cleanse the remaining 2 million residents to open the way for Jewish settlement.