Not only did the Israeli Air Force shoot down the Iranian missiles that night, but also the Jordanian Air Force. Jordan and Iraq are on the direct line between Iran and Israel. Both airspaces were closed at night. The fact that Jordan also shot down Iranian missiles and drones could put the kingdom in trouble.
The sky over the Jordanian capital Amman was brightly lit at times during the night. Again and again you could see beams of light colliding with each other. Air defense systems of the Jordanian army, which intercepted some of the Iranian missiles.
Iran warned: Jordan itself could become a target
In an outskirts of Amman, residents took photos of a black, crashed rocket part. These recordings were shared across social media today.
Legend:
During the night, images of crashed drone parts circulated on social media.
AFP
Iran warned Jordan last night not to interfere. According to the Iranian news agency Fars News, the Iranian armed forces were closely monitoring the movements of the Jordanian air force. In the event of Jordan’s interference, the kingdom would make itself a target, it was said.
Amman is breaking with tradition
Iran warned Jordan about the “punitive attack” against Israel so that the kingdom could take security precautions. In fact, Jordanian airspace was closed from 11 p.m. that night. A step that was reversed this morning.
By intercepting the missiles and threats from Iran, Jordan broke with tradition. When Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein fired rockets into Israel over Jordanian territory in 1991, then-Jordanian King Hussein did not intervene. Today, the Jordanian government justified its interception operation by saying it wanted to protect its own people. The Jordanian prime minister later doubled down, saying further escalation in the region would lead down “dangerous paths”.
A part of the population is likely to interpret the air defense as a defense of Israel
But even if the Jordanian intervention was primarily intended to protect its own population, it is likely to meet with criticism there. A large part of the Jordanian population has Palestinian roots and is likely to interpret air defense more as a defense of its unloved neighbor Israel.
The Kingdom of Jordan may have moved a little closer to Israel tonight. To the displeasure of Iran and possibly other neighbors in the region – and certainly also to the dismay of its largely Palestinian population.